Electronics and Semiconductors

Byton Debuts Smart Electric SUV at CES 2018

08 January 2018

Source: BYTONSource: BYTONByton debuted its first drivable concept car at CES 2018 in Las Vegas, featuring a unique digital design and innovative human-vehicle interaction. The new SUV will be manufactured at Byton's plant in Nanjing, China at a starting price of USD $45,000. The car will be available in China toward the end of 2019, and in the U.S. and Europe in 2020. Key features include:

•Shared lounge experience for in-car communication, entertainment and work, with content and connection driven by the Byton Life cloud platform

•A single 125 by 25 centimeter (49 inch by 9.8 inch) Shared Experience Display center console, along with three additional display screens

•Unique human-vehicle interaction incorporating voice recognition, touch control, biometric identification and hand-gesture control technology

•Incorporation of Amazon Alexa for intelligent voice control, with additional Amazon collaboration on audio and video content

•Maximum range of 520 kilometers (323 miles) on a single charge

Exterior design is all about digital horsepower

•Byton Concept is a mid-size premium smart electric SUV, measuring 4,850 millimeters (15.9 feet), with a wheelbase of 2,945 mm (9.6 feet) and a wheel size of 22 inches. Its exterior design reflects the SUV's robust style and distinctive proportions, with a sloping roofline and greenhouse tapering for optimized aerodynamics.

•Byton Concept leverages Smart Surfaces beginning with the front grill. LED lights throughout the front highlight the luminescent logo in the middle, along with connecting lines and dots that can switch to different display modes to suit different driving scenarios as well as communicate with users and pedestrians. The rear of the car also adapts the Smart Surfaces design.

•Three facial recognition cameras are embedded in the B-pillar on both sides of the car. Side-view cameras replace traditional side mirrors. Byton Concept also includes an invisible door handle and invisible antennas.

Interior design features

•The new SUV leverages Electric Vehicle architecture to maximize space. A flat floor and absence of a center console convey openness to all cabin occupants. Individually adjustable rear seats provide sofa-like comfort and luxury akin to a premium lounge.

•Byton is equipped with multiple screens including a Shared Experience Display replacing the central console in traditional cars. A Driver Tablet and two display screens on the rear-seat entertainment system integrate other content and features as part of the lounge.

•The most eye-catching feature is the Shared Experience Display: Its 125 cm by 25 cm (49 inch by 9.8 inch) screen automatically adjusts brightness according to changes in light, with a unique horizontal layout enabling content shown to be shared with other passengers in the car.

•Additional features include a wooden floor, leather seats and interior color matching. Front seats can rotate 12 degrees inwards, creating a shared space where occupants can interact with each other and the Shared Experience Display, even from the rear seats.

Unique human-vehicle interaction

•Byton Intuitive Access: a different method of unlocking the car. Face recognition cameras recognize the driver or passenger to unlock the door. Byton also recognizes driver and passenger information to auto-adjust seat angles, entertainment options and other information according to user preferences and usage.

•User profiles auto-enabled for every Byton. No matter which Byton the driver sits in, his or her profile can be downloaded from the cloud to the car, making the customer feel as if every Byton is his/her own car.

•Byton Air Touch for advanced gesture control. This feature allows for display control via easy hand gestures at any position within the car. For example, users can capture a location with a grabbing motion in the air, and then put it into the maps function in the middle of the display to start the navigation.

•The Driver Tablet allows the driver to control the Shared Experience Display, navigation, seat adjustment and other functions. The sides of the tablet integrate few physical buttons in the car such as the volume control. In collaboration with Amazon, Byton has also integrated Alexa Voice into its in-car voice control system.

BYTON Life cloud platform: personalized, seamless, connected life

•Four Byton Life features on display at CES include my Health, my Communication, my Entertainment and my Activities. Built-in hardware synchronizes with the user's other devices, enabling Byton to track the user's health status, including weight, heart rate and blood pressure; and synchronizes user's data to give fitness advice.

•Byton Concept supports video and telephone conference capability, enabling users to work productively while commuting, or connect with family and friends.

•Seamless switch from the outside to the inside of the car. Byton Life enables music, video and other content played on one's smartphone to continue to play in the car displays, from the time when the user has just entered the vehicle.

•Advanced AI and machine learning capabilities analyze a user's calendar, locations, hobbies and application data to provide customized advice on what to do next, making Byton smarter with every interaction.

•Byton's interconnected hardware prepares for 5G communications. The hidden antenna on the roof allows data transfer rates up to 10 gigabits/second, which is hundreds of times the normal average bandwidth.

•Data security built into all features and services. Byton has established a dedicated independent Security Lab to ensure data security whether connected to the cloud or within the vehicle. Byton Smart Gateway with machine learning ability is an additional core technology, enabling Byton to track the security status of the vehicle in real time, detect potential failures and threats and take auto-countermeasures.

L4 autonomous driving under development

•Byton's production car will be equipped with L3 ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) in 2019. L4 autonomous driving will be enabled from 2020 via a software upgrade, as will future sensor and camera upgrades.

Other information: battery charge, power options and future products

•Byton's production car will have two range options for endurance: a rear-wheel drive model with a 71-kilowatt-hour battery pack and a driving range of 400 km (248.5 miles), or a four-wheel drive model with a 95-kWh battery pack and a driving range up to 520 km (323 miles).

•In fast charge mode, 80 percent of the battery is recharged in just 30 minutes.

•Byton to include two power options: 200 kW (400 NM torque) single motor rear-wheel drive model and 350 kW (710 NM torque) dual motors four-wheel model.

•Byton has adopted an all-new platform specifically designed for electric vehicles. In addition to the first SUV model launched in 2019, Byton will produce its sedan and multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) on the same platform.

To contact the author of this article, email shimmelstein@globalspec.com


Powered by CR4, the Engineering Community

Discussion – 0 comments

By posting a comment you confirm that you have read and accept our Posting Rules and Terms of Use.
Engineering Newsletter Signup
Get the GlobalSpec
Stay up to date on:
Features the top stories, latest news, charts, insights and more on the end-to-end electronics value chain.
Advertisement
Weekly Newsletter
Get news, research, and analysis
on the Electronics industry in your
inbox every week - for FREE
Sign up for our FREE eNewsletter
Advertisement