Hyundai’s e-Corner tech makes Ioniq 5 turn on a sixpence
Hyundai has revealed a new concept car at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, with a very neat party trick.
The company’s Mobis division has unveiled a new prototype version of the Ioniq 5 electric hatchback with an innovative steering system that means all four wheels can rotate up to 90 degrees on their axles. The idea is to take advantage of the less restrictive packaging requirements of electric cars to introduce new, high-manoeuvrability features.
Mobis is Hyundai’s smart technology and parts manufacturing division, focused on developing new hardware and software for autonomous driving, connectivity and electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Often, its concept cars are little more than future-gazing self-driving pods. But the Ioniq 5 prototype, equipped with what it calls ‘e-Corner’ technology, is a tangible showcase of what the division can do.
It’s not as simple as integrating a new steering rack, front and rear, into a production Ioniq 5. Each wheel now features its own motor, electronic damper, brake and is controlled by a steer-by-wire setup - an entirely electronic link from the steering wheel, with no mechanical control. It means each wheel has complete independence, and the new level of movement means that the e-Corner Ioniq 5 can perform a number of new moves that might come in handy in a tight spot.
Hyundai has put a video together of the car performing its new tricks. Perhaps one of the most useful would be the ‘Crab Driving’ function, which turns the wheels 90 degrees and enables it to drive completely sideways. Tight parallel parking would be a doddle if done this way.
Do not adjust your set - the car isn't broken
Or, if a three-point turn was looking more like a ten-pointer, wouldn’t it be useful to have a car that can completely revolve within the space of its own axles? The zero turn moves the wheels into the same position as the Crab Driving mode, but moves the fronts and rears in opposite directions, for a complete turn on the spot.
A slightly wider version of this is the pivot turn, which just rotates the car around by the rear axle, keeping the nose in its place. We’re not quite sure what the diagonal driving mode could be used for just yet, but it can also do this. It’s almost an accentuated version of what some cars with rear-wheel steering already do, with subtle same-direction movement on the rear axle at high speed, for stability changing lanes on the motorway.
Could we see technology like this on a production car anytime soon, and would drivers want it? It’s probably not for everyone, but it’s an interesting proposition nonetheless.
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