- gm unveiled the cadillac luxury pav pod concept, meant to pamper passengers on their way to an event, as part of the virtual ces technology show today.
- the autonomous and electric vehicle has biometric sensors in the seats to adjust the climate and uses aromatherapy to keep passengers comfortable.
- the pod, along with a single-passenger flying drone concept, are part of cadillac's halo portfolio of concept vehicles.
ces just wouldn't be ces if there wasn't some sort of self-driving pod. this year's passenger-delivering box on wheels is from cadillac's halo portfolio. the pav (personal autonomous vehicle) is meant to provide a social space for friends and family to congregate on their way to an event—sort of like a limo without someone up front behind the wheel.
once inside, passengers' vital signs are read via biometric sensors in the seats to adjust heat, humidity, aromatherapy, and lighting. passengers can use voice control and hand gestures to control the experience, and there's a way to control the interior camera to take photos so that everyone is in the picture.
while the sides of the vehicle are windowless, there's a huge glass roof showing the world above. from a video shared by gm, it looks like a screen embedded in the seating area displays the route, while a retractable display up front welcomes passengers and shares details about each passenger's biometrics and how long until the party reaches its destination.
that destination might even be to fly around in cadillac's single-passenger autonomous flying drone concept. the evtol (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft) concept is meant for when time is of the essence, according to michael simcoe, gm vice-president of global design. "we are preparing for a world where advances in electric and autonomous technology make personal air travel possible," simcoe said during the ces presentation. the electric vehicle has a 90.0-kwh capacity battery. its ev motor powers eight rotors that can propel the drone at speeds up to 90 mph. cadillac even has what it calls a "luxurious two-seat design" for future drones, apparnetly so that couples can spend some time in the air decompressing.
while the evtol concept is more pie-in-the-sky than an actual product, the luxury pod concept could be the limo of the future. sadly there's no timetable for either product.