Electric carmaker startup Byton has just premiered
its Crossover Concept at CES 2018 in Las Vegas and if the vehicle reaches
production, it could be a very tantalizing prospect.
Byton has revealed that its crossover will be able
to travel approximately 250 miles in base specification and feature a battery
that can be charged with 150 miles of range in a mere 20 minutes. Additionally,
it’ll take just 30 minutes to top the battery up to 80 per cent of its
capacity.
Byton says the Crossover
Concept will have Level 3 autonomous functionality by the time it hits the
production launch and be capable of achieving Level 4 autonomy at a later date.
Byton has also ditched traditional wing mirrors for the crossover and instead
uses two small cameras that direct vision to the vehicle’s cabin.
The exterior design of the vehicle is intriguing but
it is the cabin where things get really interesting. The concept features a
huge 49-inch display that stretches the whole width of the dashboard which
Byton says will make its way into the production vehicle. The
Crossover Concept adopts a large display in the center of the steering wheel
but we don’t think that'll make it to production due to the lack of space for
an airbag.
Other intriguing features of the vehicle include a
customized version of Amazon Alexa and the ability for the car to monitor the
heart rate and blood pressure of occupants.
The founders of Byton say the crossover will reach
production in 2019 and start at around US$ 45,000 with the Chinese, U.S., and
European markets all being targeted. If the vehicle proves successful, it could
be joined by an electric sedan and electric MPV.
