Sony Unveils Afeela EV, Controls it with PS5 Dualsense Controller: CES 2024

Izumi Kawanishi, the President and COO of Sony Honda Mobility, stunned the crowd at CES 2024 by taking a PS5 DualSense controller from of its holster and using it to operate the Afeela electric car on stage.

Though still a concept, the Afeela is moving closer to becoming a reality. The idea, which Sony and Honda developed together, was first said to feature a 400kW (536hp) dual-motor all-wheel drive system, a 4.8-second 0-100 km/h time, and a peak speed of 240 km/h.

Those are still the specifications Sony is looking for, as far as we know. At past CES presentations, Sony has also unveiled the Afeela, sharing more information about the vehicle's development with the public each time. This time was no exception.

What is the technology of the new controller Afeela electric car?

While summoning Afeela with the PlayStation controller is impressive, it's not quite a feature. Kawanishi explained that it was just a tech demo. However, Afeela has a real quality that has been encouraged through gameplay.

The car uses Epic Games' Unreal Engine 5.3 to power the 3D graphics and visuals that fill its massive, super-wide panel display. This means that drivers and passengers can enjoy detailed 3D maps, virtual spaces, and magnified views of the world around Afeela together with metadata from the internet.

Two electric motors combined with an all-wheel drive system power the Afeela electric vehicle. This indicates that power is sent to all four wheels via the electric motors installed in the front and back axles. With a maximum power output of 241 horsepower from each of these electric motors, the automobile should be able to deliver up to 482 horsepower overall.

A 91kWh lithium-ion battery pack powers the electric motors while Sony Honda Moibility has announced the EV would feature an 11 kW Level 2 charging capability in addition to a 150 kW DC fast charger, the company has not disclosed many data regarding the Afeela sedan's engine.

Price and Availability

UE5 is also used to visualize simulated environments for training multi-camera driver assistance systems. The ultra-realistic graphics of the game engine enable better accuracy in teaching visual models and neural network processing, which improves the driver assistance functions of the electric car. We still don't know how much Afeela will cost, but we do know it will hit the market in 2026.