CES 2018 Hyundai Mobis unveils wheel module engineless EVs
Participants at Consumer Electronics Show 2018 look into Hyundai Mobis' e-Corner Module displayed at the company's booth at the show in Las Vegas, Thursday. / Courtesy of Hyundai Mobis
By Nam Hyun-woo
Hyundai Mobis on Thursday unveiled a series of new technologies tailored to electronic vehicles (EVs) and autonomous cars, highlighted by its e-Corner module, which eliminates the need for a central engine.
During this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the auto parts supplier introduced its e-Corner module, which the company said is “the first-ever integrated modular platform designed for electronic and eco-friendly vehicles.”
According to Hyundai Mobis, the module combines a motor, e-damper, brake-by-wire and steer-by-wire technologies in a package that can be installed within each wheel of a car. This eliminates the need for a traditional chassis and central engine and gives EVs four-wheel-drive capabilities.
With this technology, cars will not require a central engine and shafts to rotate the wheels, meaning car designers can have more flexibility in design, securing more space for battery or hydrogen storage, the company said.
Hyundai Mobis aims to complete development of the in-wheel motor and brake by wire this year and finish the e-Corner Module by 2021.
At CES 2018, the company also showed technologies for automated parking.
Dubbed remote smart parking assist, the technology uses ultrasound to have a car park itself in a selected space with the touch of a button after the driver gets out of the car. This technology is scheduled to enter mass production in 2018.
In the pipeline is more advanced technology called automatic valet parking.
The company said this is a self-parking capability, enabling a car to park itself in a nearby parking space or garage without driver input. The process relies on autonomous sensor technology, such as ultrasound, highly precise maps and localized communication with parking infrastructure. The company seeks to complete its development of this technology by the end of the year.
“The technologies featured at CES 2018 are the result of years of research and development in the areas of autonomous driving, eco-friendliness, infotainment and human-machine interfacing,” said Ko Young-suk, Hyundai Mobis R&D strategy and planning vice president.
According to him, the company has been investing 7 percent of its annual parts revenue into R&D efforts for the last three years. The plan increases the portion to 10 percent by 2021, he said. The company plans to use half of that amount on info-tech research, especially on autonomous sensors and biometrics.