- EV concept gets retro Japanese-van form with futuristic cues on the outside
- It can store energy from solar panels, back up the home when needed
- Interior experience is prioritized—as an "extended living room" for viewing, gaming, or work
Japanese electronics firm Sharp recently unveiled a fully electric concept van. And perhaps not surprisingly for a company known for televisions and audio systems, the Sharp EV emphasizes the cabin experience.
Unveiled at Sharp's Tech-Day '24 product showcase in Tokyo last week, the LDK+ is an electric van with an interior imagined as an "extended living room," according to a Sharp press release, focusing more on how the vehicle is used while stationary.
This takes the form of a high-tech makeover of classic camper van or custom van builds. There's no shag carpeting to be found, but the rear seats can rotate backward to face a screen mounted on the inner side of the tailgate. Liquid-crystal material in the windows allows the transparency to be adjusted for privacy.
Sharp LDK+ electric van concept
Sharp suggests the LDK+ could be used as an extension of a house. Parked in the driveway, it could serve as a theater room, children's play area, or workspace while still maintaining connectivity with family members "as if they were in the next room."
This focus on the experience inside the vehicle reminds us of the Afeela brand, a project between Sony and Honda also built around a Japanese electronics company with no previous direct experience building cars.
Bidirectional charging could also allow the LDK+ to serve as a home backup power source, Sharp suggests. Excess power from home solar panels could be stored in the van's battery pack for use in an emergency or to lessen overall emissions.
Sharp is already supplying some of the tech for new vehicles and EVs—like the displays for the Fisker Ocean. Since 2016, the company has also been majority owned by the Hon Hai Technology Group, otherwise known as Foxconn, which has its own automotive ambitions.
Foxconn introduced an open platform for EVs in 2020, and has shown an electric cargo van that may or may not be related to the Sharp LDK+ concept. Foxconn has had various other EV projects and, in the U.S., purchased a former GM plant in Ohio that briefly built the failed Lordstown Endurance electric truck in the U.S.
