The recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas had several themes. Autonomous and electric vehicles, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, pending 5G technology, 3D television, personal mobility and every entrepreneurial gadget feasible were in the mix.
The CES gathering was held in five locations on the Las Vegas strip. Flash flooding greeted visitors on opening day; a power outage occurred on the second day. The estimated attendance for the week was 250,000, and the showroom floors were crowded.
Nonetheless, an estimated 1,700 vendors showcased their wares with flash and fast-talking, expertise and wishful thinking.
In episode 23 of The Weekly Driver Podcast, co-host Bruce Aldrich and I discuss the concept vehicles automakers like Toyota and BMW hope will be autonomous vehicles in the not-to-distant future.
Bruce notes in his show recap that the autonomous vehicle industry has to overcome several hurdles, including data acquisition and the need for more capacity than current 4G systems maintain. Citywide Wifi systems are needed for urban areas, while the 5G technology will be required in rural locations.
The show was diverse. The guitar maker Gibson had a huge outdoor presence with a vast exhibit of new and vintage guitars and personal listening devices.
Several companies had autonomous helicopters that looked ready for duty. A company called AEV from Austin, Texas, had several examples of utilitarian electric vehicles on display, without doors, with half doors and full enclosed sides.
And there were dozens of trinket and gadget vendors, from personal medical devices to anti-radar and electronic red light detection systems to advancement in camera technology.
And, finally, Bruce and I review our round-trip transportation from Sacramento to Las Vegas. We drove an estimated 1,300 miles in a 2018 Infiniti Q50 sedan. The vehicle had plenty to like and a few areas in which we weren’t quite so enamored.
The Weekly Driver Podcast welcomes your comments.
Article Last Updated: January 17, 2018.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
