The Consumer Technology Association’s CES conference will close one day early with the in-person event now running January 5-7, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The step was taken as an additional COVID-19 safety measure.
“As the world’s most influential technology event, CES is steadfast in its pledge to be the gathering place to showcase products and discuss ideas that will ultimately make our lives better,” Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA told the press last week.
“We are shortening the show to three days and have put in place comprehensive health measures for the safety of all attendees and participants.”
Despite closing one-day early, with over 2,200 exhibitors and attendees from more than 159 countries, the automotive industry once again took center stage at CES, generating buzz over innovations in vehicle technology.
Featured this year at the CES is the Indy Autonomous Challenge, which brings the fastest autonomous race cars together in a head-to-head competition designed to engage university teams from across the globe. These teams have programmed autonomous-modified race cars, and are hoping to win the race and capture the coveted $1 million prize. The race is scheduled for Friday, January 7th from 12 – 4 P.M. EST at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and you can watch the event live.
In addition to bringing together the industry’s youngest and brightest, the CES also featured a number of industry experts speaking on automotive trends and making predictions about the future of the industry. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg delivered remarks on Thursday about the future of transportation, and leading OEMs also weighed in throughout the week.
A few of the long list of OEMs in attendance included General Motors, which discussed its path to electric vehicle adoption. Audi showcased its new E-Tron GT Prototype, and BMW premiered its fully electric sports activity vehicle, the BMW iX M60 which created a buzz for its unique tech which allows drivers to change the vehicle’s looks and colours. The Mercedes Vision EQXX was also revealed, which is a sporty, solar-powered concept car that Mercedes-Benz claims can go 1,000 km on a single charge.
Innovators like Metamaterial (known as META) discussed its new vehicle material, which is ultra-lightweight and can manipulate interactions with light to redefine solar solutions for vehicles.
In addition to revealing new tech, other notable industry topics included how the automotive industry’s innovations are helping to reduce pollution, relieve traffic congestion, and make driving safer.
