A car 'more intelligent than humans'... for $45,000: Byton unveils electric vehicle to rival Tesla with a 300-mile range, facial recognition and a 50-INCH dashboard touchscreen

Chinese firm Byton unveiled its first drivable prototype at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today
It will have a 50 inch dashboard display, facial and gesture recognition, and Level III autonomous features
According to Byton, the crossover SUV will get more than 300 miles on a charge, and will charge quickly
Firm plans to roll out the mid-sized vehicle first in China in 2019, before hitting the US and Europe in 2020

Byton has revealed the first look at the high-tech electric car it claims will ‘perceive more than what a human being will ever do.'

The firm finally unveiled its first drivable prototype at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today, after teasing the so-called Smart Intuitive Vehicle (SIV) since September.

The Nanjing-based company plans to roll out the mid-sized crossover vehicle with level 3 autonomy in China in 2019, starting at $45,000, before hitting the US and Europe in 2020.

The car will respond to conditions on the road to avoid potential threats; for example, ‘if the exterior lighting conditions change, your Byton will adjust to your needs automatically,’ the co-founder said. also has voice control with Amazon’s Alexa, and an intuitive gesture control system that responds to 5 different hand commands

The base model will be able to achieve 250 miles on a charge, while the higher end variant will go up to about 325 miles – and, the firm claims it will charge incredibly fast.

Byton claims it is on the verge of achieving a fast-charging system that will ‘get enough charge for a whole week of urban commuting’ in just the amount of time it takes you to have a cup of coffee.

Onstage at CES, co-founder Dr Carson Breitfeld said the car will recharge to a range of 150 miles (249 kilometers) in just 20 minutes.

And, in just 30 minutes, the battery will be 80 percent full.

Its cars are designed to be ‘the next generation of smart devices for shared mobility and autonomous driving.’

As a result, much of the focus has been put into its smart human-vehicle interface.

The car is essentially a ‘smartphone on wheels,’ a Byton test driver said during the Las Vegas event.

The interior aims to provide a ‘digital lounge experience,’ explained Dr Breitfeld. ‘Once you have taken your seat, you will feel as if you’re in a luxurious living room.’ It has a touchscreen built right into the steering wheel

The Byton car unveiled at CES in Las Vegas today is designed to be smart and sleek, with invisible door handles and flat antennas integrated into the roof, eschewing the ‘shark fins’ common in current vehicles. It will also feature an array of cameras instead of side view mirrors. According to a test driver, it's essentially a 'smartphone on wheels'

It will be equipped with gesture recognition, facial recognition, and even emotion recognition, to differentiate between the driver and passenger and personalize the rider experience.

Safety is the ‘underlying principle,’ of the design, Breitfeld explained.

It also has a touch screen built right onto the steering wheel, in what the firm claims is a world first.

This means ‘the driver can always interact with the vehicle in the direct line of vision.’

Photos released prior to its official unveiling showed off the tech-packed interior of Byton’s flagship car, with large touchscreens mounted on the back of the driver and passenger seats for riders in the back to enjoy. And, it will have a massive 49- by 10-inch touchscreen display spanning the length of the dashboard

It also has voice control with Amazon’s Alexa, and an intuitive gesture control system that responds to 5 different hand commands.

The car is designed to be smart and sleek, with invisible door handles and flat antennas integrated into the roof, eschewing the ‘shark fins’ common in current vehicles.

It will also feature an array of cameras instead of side view mirrors.

The interior aims to provide a ‘digital lounge experience,’ explained Dr Breitfeld.

‘Once you have taken your seat, you will feel as if you’re in a luxurious living room.’

From the get go, Byton says the car will be equipped with Level III autonomy features, with Level IV to come in the next year or so

The firm finally unveiled its first drivable prototype at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today, after teasing the so-called Smart Intuitive Vehicle (SIV) since September

SIX LEVELS OF AUTOMATION

Level Zero - The full-time performance by the human driver of all aspects of the dynamic driving task, even when enhanced by warning or intervention systems

Level One – A small amount of control is accomplished by the system such as adaptive braking if a car gets too close

Level Two – The system can control the speed and direction of the car allowing the driver to take their hands off temporarily, but they have to monitor the road at all times and be ready to take over

Level Three – The driver does not have to monitor the system at all times in some specific cases like on highways but must be ready to resume control if the system requests

Level Four – The system can cope will all situations automatically within defined use but it may not be able to cope will all weather or road conditions. System will rely on high definition mapping

Level Five – Full automation. System can cope with all weather, traffic and lighting conditions. It can go anywhere, at any time in any conditions From the get go, Byton says the car will be equipped with Level III autonomy features, with Level IV to come in the next year or so.

It will have fitness tracking capabilities, with the capabilities to monitor heat rate, blood pressure, and oxygen level.

And, it will have a massive 49- by 10-inch touchscreen display spanning the length of the dashboard.

According to Byton, the new smart vehicle will be the ‘fastest car on the data highway.’

The cars will also be able to read traffic signs, monitor blind spots, and communicate with other cars using an array of sensors and advanced image processing

The electric vehicle will have a battery range of more than 300 miles – and, the firm claims it will charge incredibly fast. Byton claims it is on the verge of achieving a fast-charging system that will ‘get enough charge for a whole week of urban commuting’ in just the amount of time it takes you to have a cup of coffee

The firm claims it will provide users with constant connection, with a bandwidth roughly five times higher than conventional systems, at up to 1000Mb/s.

This is also roughly 100 times faster than your smartphone, Byton noted during the unveiling event.

This means passengers can stream TV shows, play games, and video chat through the car.

The cars will also be able to read traffic signs, monitor blind spots, and communicate with other cars using an array of sensors and advanced image processing.

Byton says it will launch three models with this platform in the next five years.

This will include an SUV set to launch in late 2019, plus a sedan and MOV that will hit the market in 2021 and 2022, respective