The GMC Hummer EV made news with its “Crabwalk” feature, where the wheels turn to allow the giant SUV to move diagonally around challenging off-road obstacles. There’s no denying that such technology would be just as useful in an urban environment, allowing a vehicle to easily slide in and out of tight parking spaces. Hyundai Mobis is working to make that a reality and showed off a unique Ioniq 5 prototype with four wheels that can turn up to 90 degrees.
The feature is called e-Corner, and it bundles brake-by-wire, steer-by-wire, an electric motor, and an electric damper in all four wheel assemblies. It can be installed in several vehicle types without compromising space, so Hyundai could enable it in everything from small electric sedans to flagship electric SUVs.
Hyundai Mobis’ video for the feature shows a variety of functions enabled by the tech. Beyond turning all four wheels 90 degrees for easy parallel parking and maneuvering, the wheels can also turn to allow a zero-turning-radius vehicle rotation. It’s also possible to drive diagonally and rotate only the back wheels for a tight pivot turn.
Though it’s used on a brand-new EV, this isn’t the first time Hyundai Mobis has shown the e-Corner system. The company first showed the system at the 2018 CES show, and in 2021, we saw a near-production-ready version of the tech. The Ioniq5 shown at CES looks polished and ready, so e-Corner could be here sooner than later.
That said, we don’t know for sure when Hyundai will begin incorporating e-Corner into production vehicles, but the company could roll it out as soon as 2025. When we previously reported on e-Corner, Hyundai wanted to install the system on a skateboard EV chassis by 2023, which it has done with the Ioniq 5 prototype. We may also see e-Corner in other automakers’ catalogs, as Hyundai Mobis said it wanted to start taking “mass-production orders from global carmakers.”
Related video:
Sign in to post
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Continue