Hyundai is testing new technology that parallels parks cars like a pro.
The South Korean carmaker debuted its e-Corner System that lets anyone to parallel park by turning wheels 90 degrees and activating a ‘crab walk’ into the space.
A video shows the system in a new all-electric IONIQ 5, which pulls next to an open spot, turns its wheels and rolls in perpendicular.
The wheels can also drive diagonally at a 45-degree angle, allowing for high-speed quick changes in direction.
Video: Watch Hyundai’s new ‘crab driving’ electric car drive sideways
Hyundai shared a demonstration video captured at its Mobis Proving Ground, Seosan and on adjacent roads to showcase a variety of driving modes.
The technology was designed to help anyone parallel park – a feat needed to obtain a US driver’s license.
The crab-walking feature appears to be seamless – rotating the wheels simultaneously without causing stress on the brake lines.
The wheels will then revert back to the traditional position once the car has been parked.
However, Hyundai notes that all the wheels can move independently for traditional turns because each one has its own motor.
And the vehicle can also perform a perfect 360-degree turn without taking up more room than the size of the car.
The video also introduced ‘diagonal driving,’ which rotates all four wheels in the same direction at 45 degrees, helping to avoid obstacles or vehicles on the road smoothly.
‘Pivot turn’ is also introduced in the video, which lets the driver choose any point for the central axis to rotate the vehicle accordingly, like drawing a circle using a compass.
Cheon Jae-seung, the head of the future technology convergence institute at Hyundai Mobis said: ‘We are idealizing the e-Corner System in order to meet the demands for future mobility.
‘We will secure different types of customized mobility solutions that can be applied in autonomous driving and PBVs to solidify our vision of reaching new heights as a mobility platform provider.’
The crab-walking technology is also featured in GM’s latest Hummer model, unveiled in 2020.
The battery-powered ‘supertruck’ has a range of 350 miles and can accelerate from 0-60mph in three seconds for $112,000.
The ‘crab walk’ feature lets the front and rear wheels steer at the same angle at low speeds so it can move diagonally around obstacles.
The older version of the Hummer pales in comparison to the EV1. A 2010 Hummer H3 has 300hp, torque of 320lb-ft and a range of 322 miles.
In 2021, Hyundai unveiled a Transformer-like ‘walking car’ that can access remote areas of the world and one day Mars.
Called TIGER, the autonomous vehicle is not for carrying passengers but is designed for scientific exploration or as an assistant to deliver food and medicine during natural disasters.
Unlike other emergency vehicles, Hyundai’s concept can extend its four legs to climb over obstacles and then retract to transform into an all-wheel drive vehicle.
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