Feb. 10, 2021—ADAPT reported heavily from the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show, which featured tons of announcements and innovations in the vehicle technology world.
Despite all the complications the past year brought us, there were huge advancements made in technology across several key areas such as health, robotics, fitness, delivery, smart cities, and more, said Lesley Rohrbaugh, director of research for Consumer Technology Association.
Rohrbaugh and Steve Koenig, vice president of research for CTA, dove into each of the ways technology has impacted our way of life in the past year, and how this may just be the beginning.
Koenig began the presentation by saying, “It’s a new year, thank goodness.”
Vehicle Technology
When it comes to vehicle technology, Koenig said this last year saw a few common themes: mobility as a service (MaaS), self-driving fleets, and the elephant in the room: electrification.
“General Motors’ ‘electric future’ is very significant,” he said, referencing the automaker’s recent announcement to stop all production of gas-powered vehicles by 2035. “We can expect more and more lineups to be punctuated with electric vehicles.”
Next, Koenig went on to stress the importance of manufacturing electric trucks in the coming years. For many years, trucks have been the No. 1 selling vehicle in America, he said. “The electric truck market is a huge swing factor in the success for the electric vehicle market in the U.S.”
During the presentation, Koenig, a self-described truck enthusiast, highlighted GM’s upcoming Hummer EV as an example. The truck can “crab walk” diagonally and is said to be available this fall for just $112,595.
