Sharp Teams With Foxconn for Planned EV

While Sony partnered with Honda to create the Afeela EV brand, Sharp is partnering with Taiwanese smartphone and contract manufacturing giant Foxconn. Foxconn took over Sharp in 2016, making it the logical partner to provide Sharp with EV technology and manufacturing capacity. Another contributor is last-mile commercial electric delivery vehicle start-up Folofly.

Sharp anticipates leveraging its position as a provider of consumer electronics for the home by positioning its LDK+ minivan EV as a home on wheels. It is not only meant to be a home away from home, but in space-constrained Japan, effectively an addition to the owner’s house, with space that can be used as auxiliary space when the car is parked at home.

As such, Sharp views the LDK+’s interior as an "extended living room" and focuses on the time the vehicle is stationary. Its’ rear seat reverses to face backward when parked and electrochromatic glass in the side windows darkens when parked, creating a private space in the rear of LDK+.

The theater experience is possible in the back of the LDK+. SHARP

The car’s rear is filled by a 65-inch video display, providing entertainment or a screen for your laptop while working in the car. The screen also acts as a virtual window to the home, providing the option of a continuous video connection to the inside of the house while parked outside.

Related:Honda and Sony’s Afeela EV Joint Venture Gets Serious

Sharp’s "CE-LLM*4" artificial intelligence contributes to the experience, spying, er, observing the driver in everyday life to automatically adjust the air conditioning and cabin lighting their anticipated preferences to create a comfortable interior space.

Solar panels atop the minivan provide power for the vehicle or can even help power a home. SHARP

The LDK+’s rooftop solar panels and its high-voltage storage battery also provide the ability for the vehicle to serve as a power source for the home in the event of a power outage.