Hyundai e-Corner: The Future of Parking Is Here
How cool would it be to pull up next to a parallel parking space and have all four wheels turn 90 degrees to take you directly into the space? This is what the new Hyundai e-Corner system is designed to do. This system offers a bit more capability, but it makes sense that most users would only use this feature for parking.
Where have we seen the new Hyundai e-Corner system?
Hyundai put this new turning system on display in January in a Hyundai Ioniq 5 fitted with this feature. During the demonstration, all four wheels of the electric SUV turned 90 degrees, enabling the vehicle to slide into a parking space from the side. This would make parallel parking an activity that more drivers could perform. Currently, many drivers will go around the block searching for a parking lot or a space that doesn’t require traditional parallel parking maneuvers.
Would the three-point turn be a thing of the past with this new system?
In addition to being useful as a parking tool, the new Hyundai e-Corner system can also perform tight 180-degree turns. Considering a three-point turn results in exactly 180 degrees of turning, this new system could make these turns obsolete. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 performed this turn by pivoting only the rear wheels.
If you’re wondering if this new system could allow the Hyundai EV to turn completely around in a space the size of its footprint, you’d also be right about that. By adjusting all four wheels, the Hyundai e-Corner system turns the vehicle like a tank, completely around 360 degrees in the same space it occupies.
How does this new turning system work in the Hyundai EV?
Green Car Reports tells us the e-Corner system first came to be in 2021. This technology comes from the Hyundai Mobis team, and eventually, the idea was applied to the Ioniq 5, which is the perfect testbed for this technology.
This system works by using in-wheel motors and bespoke brake-by-wire and steer-by-wire systems to turn the wheels. These motors are different from those driving the wheels of the Ioniq 5. We’re still unsure whether or not Hyundai will develop this system for mass production, but it could be useful for some drivers.
Which drivers would benefit the most from the new Hyundai e-Corner system?
Many urban areas still require parallel parking along the street, which is useful in tight cities. This new feature could make parking in these urban environments much easier than standard parallel maneuvers. It could also ensure drivers don’t have to spend several minutes and lots of frustration getting into a tight parking spot.
With advanced automatic parking systems, is this new system practical?
Some vehicles currently have parking systems that enable drivers to stand outside of the vehicle and let it park in a parallel or perpendicular location. Does this mean the Hyundai e-Corner system is already obsolete before it ever comes to market? That’s still undetermined, as is whether or not this system will make it to future Hyundai models.
