Gamification isn’t entirely a new term, but it rose to prominence in the early to mid-2010s, back when people thought the gig economy was a brave new frontier in revolutionizing work. The term refers to adding game mechanics to things that weren’t games. For example, take Uber and Lyft's famous (perhaps infamous) streak bonuses: a mechanic that rewarded rideshare drivers with real money for taking several rides in a row without canceling. Or Amazon’s literal mini-games that encouraged workers to move quicker.
Some call it a great way to make work a little more fun; today, I'd say people were quite wrong about that and the net effect is outright dystopian. But the workplace is one thing. Can this stuff make driving more engaging?
Honda thinks so. As it gets ready for a new electric era, it's taking some of these gamification ideas and porting them to its vehicles. This is the “wise” part of Honda’s new “thin, light and wise” mantra for its upcoming EV series. It says that the car’s user experience (UX) should minimize stress and maximize fun.
This was another big part of the Honda Tech Meeting, which occurred last week in Japan. Part of that trip involved driving a very early prototype mule of Honda’s 0 Series EV chassis. But it also included an all-day meeting where Honda showed off its connected software plans for its 0 Series models.
Honda wants to continually update its future EVs via over-the-air (OTA) updates, but it won’t just be software security updates or incremental improvements in charging or performance. Honda hinted that it could add things that could generate real value. Here are a few of the concepts it showed off that could be add-ons or standard in its new EVs.
If they're successful, some of these features could trickle down to its gas cars, too.
Honda’s Simulated Engine Sounds
EV manufacturers have been toying with the idea of emulating ICE vehicles for a while now. Hyundai’s already gone ahead and done it with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, and it feels like the world is better for it.
But let’s face it. Hyundai doesn’t exactly have the world’s largest pedigree of enthusiast-oriented engines. The simulated engine noise and behavior on the Ioniq 5 N comes from the Elantra N's 2.0-liter turbo. That's a fine engine, but it certainly isn’t the high-revving, aural wonders that were B or K series motors from Civic Type Rs of yore.
Honda has decided to play to its strengths, and put those iconic engine sounds in its EVs. The brand showed off its proof-of-concept in the front seat of a modified Honda E hatchback. The car had offered simulated sound tracks from nine iconic Honda products, including the original NSX, the current generation Civic Type R and also the HondaJet.
These were more than just sound packs that added interior ambiance. Honda programmed in subtle (or not so subtle, depending on the car) vibrations to simulate the sound and feel of those engines. The engineers also claimed that, like Hyundai, the car could shift up and down using paddles.
Of course, this was a very early proof-of-concept demonstration. The Ioniq 5 N’s shift shock, gear change sensations and rev limiter are all cleverly simulated via sound through speakers and subwoofers, but the key to selling such a convincing imitation of an ICE car lies in the Ioniq 5 N’s regenerative braking abilities adding force that the driver and passengers can feel. The Ioniq 5 N will bounce off its “rev limiter” bucking and bouncing the car up and down as if it had a gas engine ready to take flight from its engine mounts.
I couldn’t drive the prototype E anywhere, so it’s not clear if Honda simulated its engine dynamics as well as Hyundai. Still, it would be very cool to see this tech on more Honda EVs.
VR Drive With a Friend
I fully admit that I don’t quite “get” VR. I also don’t understand the appeal of Twitch streamers or mukbangers or any sort of online presence that encourages in-depth parasocial relationships. But this ain’t about me.
Honda has a clever idea here: What if we used cameras and head tracking to put people in the passenger’s seat, virtually? Ride-along live streams aren’t entirely new, but when there’s head tracking and VR, things get more advanced. For example, the VR user could go from inside the cabin to outside the car, by simply standing up or sitting down. The VR user could use controls to like or react to the driver’s surroundings.
Honda let me try it out. They had a driver about 70 miles away, and using the VR headset, I could see exactly where the driver was going and react to the car’s surroundings. I guess it was kind of cool, but I do admit that the VR experience of a moving car made me nauseous. I had to stop halfway through the demo before I lost my lunch.
Ignoring my bad temperament, Honda still sees several avenues of usefulness for this technology. For starters, it could be a way for a smaller, more personal connection, like riding with a friend or family member on a long drive. Or, it could be used for less personal ride-along, like driving with an influencer or doing laps with a racecar driver.
This is a technology that didn’t necessarily seem limited to its EVs. In theory, any Honda product with the appropriate cameras could take advantage of this setup.
Your Car’s Leaderboard
One of the last things that Honda showed us is a sort of score or leaderboard app, designed to make driving either more economical or more fun. Or probably both. It works by collecting data from the vehicle (or phone) and uses AI to give tips or generate scores for driving skills.
Technically, this is already on the app store, but it’s only for the current generation Honda Civic Type R. Honda says the success of the app and user feedback from Civic Type-R owners shows that the app has real demand outside of Honda’s hot hatchback. Honda says there could be real use in angling its diagnostic or driving tip features toward BEV or HEV models, to encourage more efficient driving.
My time with Honda in Japan was limited, and my time with the products was brief. The brand says that it plans to elaborate more on some of these tech features during next year’s CES.
Stay tuned, because if Honda has its way your next car could be more exciting than the PS5 Pro.
Contact the author: kevin.williams@insideevs.com
