There's been a vast volume of exciting automotive announcements at CES 2022 , from a color-changing SUV and an autonomous car that's also a camper (and your living room) to an EV with over 1,000km of range -- and the revelation that Sony is in fact going to make electric vehicles. Probably.
Traditionally a show that focused more on the tech inside your home and on your person (think TVs, PCs, phones and wearables), CES is quickly becoming a go-to spot for automakers to show off their latest tech advancements and future-looking concepts. They did not disappoint in 2022.
We've rounded up all the hottest announcements from the tech show in Las Vegas, Nevada, for you to consume. Enjoy!
BMW iX Flow concept
It's the sort of thing you'd expect to see in a James Bond film, but BMW has made a color-changing car that actually works in real life.
The customized, fully electric BMW iX has body panels made from E Ink displays - the same technology you find in the screen of a Kindle ereader - in a system it's calling 'iX Flow'.
The modified BMW iX can switch from white to black and back at the press of a button. Sign us up, we're sold.
Cadillac InnerSpace concept
Cadillac says the fully autonomous, InnerSpace concept EV "allows two passengers to focus on their journey and not driving", which is nice.
There are a number of standout features in this concept, such as the traditional doors on each side accompanied by a roof canopy that also raises up, giving you enough space to climb in. The seats pivot out as the doors open, making it easier to slide in, and once closed they come together to form a couch.
A gigantic, curved LED display replaces what would be the windshield, and it wraps around and spills onto the door panels. And of course there's an AI-brain stuck inside too.
Chevrolet Equinox EV
The Chevrolet Equinox EV is taking the fight to Tesla. With a starting price of around $30,000 when it hits roads in the US in the second half of 2023, it will undercut Tesla's cheapest offering by more than $10,000.
At that price, this compact, fully electric SUV will be stiff competition for both the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y (which is also a compact SUV).
Chevrolet Silverado EV
GM also officially unveiled its upcoming electric pick-up, the Chevrolet Silverado EV – and it's set to go toe-to-toe with Ford's F-150 Lightning .
The Silverado EV will ship in two variants, a basic work truck (the WT) and a fully-loaded luxury model (the RST), at some point in 2023. The former will start at $39,900, with the latter set to cost an almighty $105,000.
GM says each model will be capable of up to 400 miles of range on a full charge – that's 100 miles further than the Ford – and use standard DC fast charging up to 350kW.
The Silverado RST will boast a large, 17-inch LCD infotainment screen alongside an 11-inch instrument panel, which itself sits below a multi-colored heads-up display (HUD) offering a field of view over 14 inches.
Chrysler Airflow concept
The Airflow doesn't break any new ground in terms of its overall look, but it is packed with most of the features, performance, and intelligence you'd hope for in a next-gen EV.
The all-wheel-drive concept is powered by two 150 kW batteries. They support fast charging and give the car a range between 350 and 400 miles.
The chassis is festooned with animated LED lights that scream, "I'm smart and I'm electric!" and also features a panoramic roof.
There's an unusually-shaped steering wheel that sits beside a much larger control screen. Beside that is yet another screen for your passenger; the whole system is powered by Chrysler's new AI-powered STLA Brain.
LG Omnipod concept
The aptly-named LG Omnipod is, according to the company, a "mobility concept solution that blurs the distinction between home and car," and a rather dramatic expansion on LG's Connected Car vision.
Better thought of as a miniaturized private jet cabin, the LG Omnipod is intended to be an "on-the-road extension of one's personal living space," boasting in-vehicle appliances like fridges and retractable furniture alongside a sprawling "Meta Environment" display system – which we can only presume to mean a set of adaptive interior screens mimicking an outside environment of the occupant's choice.
Then there's the AI Concierge Service, which LG envisions will see virtual humans (read: avatars) waiting on the whims of those inside the cabin (we're thinking light, temperature, noise and speed assistance).
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX concept
The Mercedes Vision EQXX concept (or "road-legal research prototype" as it's referred to in official comms) has some rather impressive specs. It boasts over 1,000km (620 miles) of range from a single charge, while inside there's a huge 47.5-inch display stretching the entire width of the dash.
Mercedes' engineers have worked their magic when it comes to the battery, taking the power pack from the EQS and reducing its physical size by 50% and weight by 30%, while also extending its range.
The Vision EQXX also features 125 solar cells on its roof that can replenish up to 25km of range per day, the best drag coefficient of any car at 0.17 making it supremely aerodynamic, and it uses a wide range of recycled and sustainable materials both inside and out.
While this particular model won't go on sale, Mercedes says it's extremely close to a production-ready vehicle, and many of the features seen here will feature in future EVs from the brand.
Sony Vision-S 02 concept
At CES last year Sony unveiled the Vision-S 01 concept EV - its own interpretation of an electric car. While interesting, many assumed it was more a tech demo from Sony rather than any serious signal that it was about to make the leap into the EV market.
At CES 2022 things changed, with the announcement of the Vision-S 02 concept SUV electric car.
The all-electric SUV has seven seats and includes a host of advanced sensors and safety systems, including the environment-mapping lidar sensors used in autonomous vehicles as well as modern iPhones.
It also features 360-degree audio and rear-seat displays, as well as a "front panoramic screen" to entertain passengers (and the driver, when you're parked).
You can even play PlayStation games through a remote connection to a console at home, the company says, and play streaming games through the cloud.
However the biggest news was confirmation that "Sony will establish an operating company 'Sony Mobility Inc.' in the spring of 2022, through which the company intends to explore entry into the EV market."
DriveStation anyone?
More CES 2022 car news
There were plenty more interesting automotive announcements at CES 2022, even if they weren't specifically new cars. Here's a quick round-up of the best of the rest from the show this year.
Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2022 coverage . We're bringing you all the breaking tech news and launches, everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.
How does an Instant Pot work?
Since the first Instant Pot was released in 2010, we’ve seen this multipurpose countertop appliance continue to grow in popularity and become a worldwide success. Instant Pot is one of the better known multi-cooker brands, but in recent years rival multi-cookers from brands like Ninja and Breville , which is known as Sage in the UK, have become hot competition and regularly feature in our best Instant Pot guide.
But if you’ve never come across one, you might still be wondering exactly what an Instant Pot is and how it works. In short, an Instant Pot is an appliance that offers a multitude of different cooking methods in one space-saving kitchen gadget, hence the broader term multicooker.
As well as replacing several different gadgets in your kitchen, it can also speed up cooking times too, which means you can impress friends and family without spending hours slaving over a hot stove.
Read on to find out just how Instant Pots work, or if you want to get your hands on one of the best multicookers right now, check out these great deals for some of the best prices on the market.
What cooking methods does an Instant Pot offer?
Depending on the model you buy it could replace a slow cooker, pressure cooker, yogurt maker, rice cooker, steamer, sterilizer, and even a sous vide. So there’s really no limit to the type of foods and meals that can be made in this appliance. Think tender meat falling off the bone in a sumptuous stew, a comforting curry or perfectly steamed vegetables.
A more recent multi-cooker innovation is the addition of air fry capabilities, which can add broiling/ grilling, roasting and air frying to the already wide range of cooking methods. With these models, you can create perfectly crisp fries, roast a chicken and even bake cookies. As you’d expect, they’re more expensive, plus they often require a secondary lid to perform the extra functions.
Most multi-cookers offer a sauté setting so you can soften onions or brown meat in the pot before going on to cook with another method like pressure cook or slow cook. It ensures all the mess remains in the pot and reduces the amount of dishwashing at the end.
Other common functions include keep warm settings that’ll automatically keep your meal warm at the end of cooking, as well as timers to delay the start of cooking so you can ensure your delicious creation is ready right after you get home from work, just in time to feed your hungry crowd.
On top of the many functions, you’ll often find numerous presets for various foods and meals such as egg, rice, stew or soup. These presets have predefined time and temperature settings to take the guesswork out of cooking popular foods. Multi-cookers come in varying sizes, around 6 quart/ 6 liter is fairly standard pot capacity but for batch cooking and larger households they go up to around 8 quart/ 8 liter, but even the larger ones don’t take up too much space on your counter.
So how does an Instant Pot work?
Instant Pots and other brands of multicooker all work in a similar way. The main unit houses a heating element in the base and this will heat up to various temperatures depending on which function is selected. A removable metal pot contains the food during cooking so it doesn’t come into contact with the base or element and being removable makes it much easier to clean.
For slow cooking, the element will maintain a low temperature for long periods of time and cook foods just like a regular slow cooker. Yogurt-making functions and sous vide work in a similar way.
Pressure cooking is a bit more complicated and relies on the lid which utilizes a rubber sealing ring to seal in the pressure when the lid is locked. When pressure cooking, the base element quickly heats the food and water in the cooking pot and locks in the steam so that pressure builds. Pressure sensors monitor the pressure and keep it at the optimum level for safety.
Cooking food under pressure is much faster than boiling on the stove. At the end of cooking, in-built safety features mean the steam has to be released before the lid will unlock. Steam is released via a valve in the lid and this can be done fast, by moving the valve or flicking a switch to the vented position. Some multicookers even have automatic settings for steam release, for a completely hands-off approach.
Alternatively, the steam will release naturally over time, this is a longer process and the food will continue to cook until the steam is released and the lid is opened. A float valve on the lid indicates whether it’s still pressurized.
For multicookers that can replace an air fryer , there’s often an additional lid required, although Ninja has recently launched models that are capable of all the functions without switching to a secondary lid. But whether it’s a separate lid or the same one, they work in much the same way as a standard air fryer, by using a powerful element and fan. These work in conjunction to create fast, even heat that’s very efficient at dry cooking methods like air fry, roast, and broil/ grill. And can be used to create perfect crunchy fries, roast beef, or just to heat up some frozen chicken nuggets.
They usually come with an air fry basket which allows the air to circulate around the food for optimum crisping. And if you’re just cooking small portions of frozen foods, instead of preheating your whole oven you can save energy by using the air fry function in a multicooker, as there’s no need to preheat and it’ll often cook the food quicker.
If you’re new to multi cookers, they can seem a bit daunting at first, but the more you cook with it, the more you’ll see the value in this one-pot cooker. And there are huge communities of multicooker fans online who have created recipes specifically designed for these appliances. So if you’re stuck for inspiration or don’t know how long to cook things for, there are plenty of mouth-watering recipes to get you started.
Motorola Edge 30: what we know so far
We've been hearing rumors about the Motorola Edge 30, the hotly-anticipated next entry in Moto's line of flagship Android phones, for some time now. Leaks about an Ultra version, in particular, have been raging for a few months.
First launched with the original Motorola Edge family in 2020, and continued with the Edge 20 phones in 2021, this line of Moto phones shows that the company can make a decent mid-range and premium handset as well as its usual budget fare – though not all the Edge devices have been perfect.
The Motorola Edge 30 family will likely come out at some point in 2022, and it could be sooner rather than later, judging by the number of leaks we've heard about them.
This new family isn't to be confused with the Moto Edge X30 launched in China at the end of 2021 – that's a distinct phone that isn't launching globally – though the final Edge 30 phones could be pretty similar.
If you're interested in seeing what Moto could have up its sleeves for 2022 – at least for its top-end phones, as its reliable G series doesn't leak as much – we've collected everything we know so far about the devices below.
Cut to the chase
Motorola Edge 30 release date and price
If precedent is anything to go by, the Motorola Edge 30 series could debut in the second half of 2022, perhaps around July which would be a year from the Edge 20 launch.
Precedent might not be the best judge in this case, though, as we've heard a top-end Motorola phone could debut in January 2022 . Admittedly, that information is from November 2021, so something may have changed since then, but it's a good indication that our expectations could be wrong.
We haven't heard any price leaks just yet, but if there's a standard, Lite, and Pro model like last year, as well as a rumored Ultra device, the cost range for the devices could be all over the place.
News, rumors and leaks
We've actually seen a huge number of Moto Edge 30 Ultra leaks, which would give us a good picture of the phone if most of them weren't actually about the Edge X30.
We've seen renders and specs of the phone, then more renders and specs , and now all are apparently wrong. But we have heard more information about the device.
Perhaps the most interesting tidbit of news is that it could work with a stylus like the Galaxy Note 21 , though it doesn't sound like the stick will actually come with the phone, or fit inside it at all.
One leak says that it could have a curved-edge display, 200MP + 50MP + 13MP rear camera combination, 60MP selfie camera, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, a 6.67-inch FHD+ 144Hz screen, and 125W wired and 50W wireless charging.
Lots of those specs are similar to the Edge X30, but enough are different that the leak seems to be talking about a different phone. One rumor suggests that the X30 will actually launch as the Edge 30 Pro , which would suggest an even higher-end Ultra mobile, that's a distinct thing from the X30, is still on the way.
If that's true, there have been some serious crossed wires regarding leaks, and it's possible or even likely that leakers have referred to the wrong phones at different times. So we'll have to wait to know for sure.
So what about the Moto Edge 30 or 30 Lite? Well, we haven't heard anything about those. So let's keep waiting on that front.