The Sony Afeela EV is finally here, but it could struggle to catch the Lucid Air – here's why
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Five years in the making, Californians can now reserve an Afeela 1. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Sony’s first foray into the world of electric vehicles is arguably one of the hardest working concepts of the CES show in Las Vegas.
![[Sony Honda Mobility Afeela 1 screens]](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9DeVy6RaPae5GeJgXtbMb5-320-80.jpg)
Starting life as the Sony Vision-S, the project has since morphed into the Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) Afeela, gradually revealed over five consecutive years of CES fanfare. Considering the Porsche Taycan can manage 320kW charge speeds, that figure already feels old fashioned.
![[Sony Afeela 1 UI]](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hvmJyBLGkxPiwyjrfSBJo9-320-80.jpg)
During that time, we have been teased with infotainment details and treated to a mock-up that has gradually evolved in design. But this year at CES 2025, the company finally announced that the $89,900 all-electric model is now available to pre-order for a fully refundable reservation fee of $200, with deliveries anticipated in mid-2026.
![[Leon Poultney]](https://vanilla.futurecdn.net/cyclingnews/media/img/missing-image.svg)
But there’s a catch, as Sony’s tie-in with the Japanese legacy automaker is currently only available to residents of California, although it is expected to be opened up to other US states soon. This year’s party piece saw SHM boss Yasuhide Mizuno summon the “near production ready” Afeela 1 to the CES stage using just his smartphone, while indicating that the suite of of 40 sensors (including cameras, LiDAR, radars and ultrasonic sensors) would allow for high levels of autonomous driving.
