Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. Car News

Ride with Batman, thanks to Intel and Warner Bros.’ car entertainment system

By

Equipped with a large screen TV, projectors, sensory and haptic feedback, and immersive audio and lights, the BMW X5 concept car outfitted by Intel and Warner Bros. brings passengers on a virtual ride of Gotham City moderated by the character Alfred Pennyworth, Batman’s trusted butler. The vehicle is on display at CES 2019 from Jan. 8-11 in Las Vegas. Walden Kirsch/Intel Corporation

In the future when you need to travel, instead of driving a car yourself, you could kick back and read Batman comics as the vehicle drives you autonomously. That’s the concept introduced by a Dark Knight-themed concept car shown off by Intel and Warner Bros this year at CES 2019.

Recommended Videos

More CES 2019 coverage

The car is part transport vehicle, part theme ride. The exterior is a retrofitted 2019 BMW X5 with autonomous driving technology that looks roughly like a regular car you would see on the street. But when you step inside, instead of the typical car interior passengers are transported to the world of Gotham.

Related: 
Best new movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Max (HBO), and more

The inside of the car is stuffed full of technology like a huge TV screen, projectors, mobile devices, sensory and haptic feedback, and audio and lights, which can be used to create an immersive entertainment experience.

Passengers are introduced to the ride by dependable British butler Alfred Pennyworth, who narrates the experience and introduces the features of the car through five Batman-themed chapters. The first chapter is an introduction to the setting of Gotham City, shown through cabin illumination and images projected on the car’s windows. The images move past the windows to give the impression of the car being in motion. Then the comic book reader feature is shown off, with panels of Batman fighting Killer Croc appearing on screens around the passenger to demonstrate how route changes can be indicated to passengers when riding in the car.

The third chapter of the ride shows the safety features of the car with the Responsibility-Sensitive Safety (RSS) system which keeps a 360-degree view around the vehicle for safety monitoring. The fourth chapter demonstrates what is sure to be one of the most popular features — the ability to watch movies on the massive screen, adapted for 270-degree viewing — by showing the trailer for the new Aquaman movie. And then for the last chapter, passengers are given information about their trip and the destination.

The car isn’t quite Batmobile-worthy just yet — it doesn’t have an ejector seat or machine guns, for starters — but it is a taste of what future car rides could look like.

Georgina Torbet
Georgina Torbet
Space Writer
Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…
Topics

Editors’ Recommendations

Toyota unveils 2026 bZ: A smarter, longer-range electric SUV
toyota bz improved bz4x 2026 0007 1500x1125

Toyota is back in the electric SUV game with the 2026 bZ, a major refresh of its bZ4X that finally delivers on two of the biggest demands from EV drivers: more range and faster charging.
The headline news is the improved driving range. Toyota now estimates up to 314 miles on a single charge for the front-wheel-drive model with the larger 74.7-kWh battery—about 60 miles more than the outgoing bZ4X. All-wheel-drive variants also get a boost, with up to 288 miles of range depending on trim.
Charging speeds haven’t increased in terms of raw kilowatts (still capped at 150 kW for DC fast charging), but Toyota has significantly improved how long peak speeds are sustained. With preconditioning enabled—especially helpful in colder weather—the new bZ can charge from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Also new: Plug and Charge support for automatic payment at compatible stations and full adoption of the North American Charging Standard (NACS), meaning access to Tesla Superchargers will be standard by 2026.
Under the hood, or rather the floor, Toyota has swapped in higher-performance silicon carbide components to improve efficiency and power delivery. The AWD version now produces up to 338 horsepower and sprints from 0–60 mph in a brisk 4.9 seconds.
Toyota didn’t stop at just the powertrain. The exterior has been cleaned up, with body-colored wheel arches replacing the black cladding, and a sleeker front fascia. Inside, a larger 14-inch touchscreen now houses climate controls, giving the dash a more refined and less cluttered appearance. There’s also more usable storage thanks to a redesigned center console.
With the 2026 bZ, Toyota seems to be responding directly to critiques of the bZ4X. It’s faster, more efficient, and more driver-friendly—finally bringing Toyota’s EV efforts up to speed.

Read more
Cheaper EVs ahead? GM and LG say new battery cells are the key
2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV front quarter view.

General Motors and LG Energy Solution have announced a new phase in their ongoing partnership: developing a new battery cell chemistry that could significantly lower the cost of electric vehicles. The joint effort centers on lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) battery cells, a variation of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) that’s gaining popularity for being more affordable and less reliant on expensive materials like nickel and cobalt.

This is a big deal because battery costs are still the single largest expense in producing EVs. According to GM and industry experts, LMFP cells could help bring the cost of electric vehicles close to — or even on par with — gas-powered cars. The goal? Making EVs accessible to a broader range of drivers without sacrificing range or performance.

Read more
Waymo recalled 1,200 robotaxis following collisions with road barriers
Waymo Jaguar I-Pace

Waymo’s autonomous-car technology has made great advances over the years to the point where it’s now allowed to offer paid robotaxi rides in select locations in the U.S.

But the development of the technology is ongoing, and the robotaxi rides continue to gather valuable data for Waymo engineers to pore over as they further refine the driverless system to make it as reliable and efficient as possible. Which is why glitches will sometimes occur.

Read more