Indi EV says its car will be connected to 5G and play in the future. It's not clear if the independent, mostly unknown EV company can actually pull it off.
The Indi One, Indi EV's flagship car, was introduced to the public at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The computer is where you might expect to find an engine. One day, the company says it will power three cameras, three dashboard screens, and 5G so users can work, capture photos and videos, edit content, post to social media, and play video games in their car.
An Indi EV media rep said at the Los Angeles Auto Show that the company focused on the content creation capabilities of the Indi One. Give it to passengers on internet of things connections. We wanted to build it into the car.
The five-seater car is sleek and comfortable, with a futuristic steering wheel and heads-up display, plush seating, a panoramic roof, and lots of options for moving the back seats and customizing the trunk.
There are three different displays in the front that have different functions. The screens at the auto show were just a simulation. One screen shows driving information, like speed and battery level. Climate control and music are two things that are in the middle. The passenger seat has a screen for gaming and social media. There are two cameras that can be used to capture footage of the passengers and one that can be pointed at the carseat. A parent could have a real-time view of that footage.
It sounds great to integrate car, computer, and content. It's a long road from vision to reality for other once-considered-promising companies.
You can check the weather, music, and your social media at the same time with multiple screens. Credit: Rachel Kraus
Indi EV is a company based in LA. The company's website doesn't give much information about its leadership, founding, and funding. John Kennedy, head of brand, and Andre Hudson, head of design, serve as leadership, according to media representatives. Hudson and Kennedy have both worked at multiple companies, including Ford, and the troubled Faraday Future. Star K., the company's chief people officer, was dressed in a Squid Game contestant tracksuit at the LA Auto Show.
Hudson said at the show that the company has roots in gaming engines. The company's founder is a man named Shi Hai, who previously founded a game company. The companies are separate, according to the reps. The Indi One from October reported that Shi Hai and Snail Games are facing multiple lawsuits from former employees for "claims of racist behavior, poor treatment of employees, and in one case, wrongful terminated and wage theft."
A case is under the hood.
Credit: Rachel Kraus
The trunk has a license plate.
Credit: Rachel Kraus
There are red flags that mark the company's road to actually producing and selling a car. The Indi One will be released in the fourth quarter of next year, according to representatives at the LA Auto Show. The date is Q3 2023. When asked about manufacturing partners and timelines, the company declined to give any more information beyond that it works with a manufacturer overseas to source select parts and general assembly is completed here in Los Angeles. The production and manufacturing details will be revealed at the show. January 22nd is the date of the Consumer Electronics Show.
It's possible that Tweet has been deleted.
There are a number of videos on the website about the team and vehicle, but there are no links to learn more directly from the pages with dummy text. At the LA Auto Show, the product specialist referred to the car as a "driving prototype," but later said it was a "proof of concept" car.
The prototypes for production are located in Los Angeles. We will begin testing for production by the end of the year.
The computer and displays in the LA Auto Show car were not functioning, so we couldn't check out how the interface actually works.
Indi EV wants to make its Indi One a reality. The "super computer" inside is referred to as the "Vehicle Integrated Computer." Hudson said the company is working on voice integration so drivers could say "Hey VIC, show me the baby camera," or "Hey VIC, take a 30-second video." The company says that this would give a more authentic experience of capturing the moments that happen in your car, as opposed to having to rely on phones or tablets.
They think the car could be used as a work station or a gaming room. The passenger seat has a screen in front of it. The idea isn't that you would play while driving. The company is setting itself up for true self-drive, which is a long way off for the whole industry, by using your car as the place you work, post, and game while driving.
It's a big dream. At the LA Auto Show, the Indi One was a "proof of concept", but it didn't make it seem like that dream would come true soon. Good luck, Indi EV. The Consumer Electronics Show is around the corner.
