Hyundai Mobis, the Korean brand’s spare parts and autonomous driving division, presented a rather striking in-wheel module fitted on a prototype Ioniq 5 at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Dubbed e-Corner, the module incorporates an electric motor, electric damper, brake by wire, and steer by wire, making it a complete package that can be fitted to a huge variety of plug-in vehicles without wasting any space, making life easier for engineers.
The concept was initially shown in 2018, but now it was fitted in all four corners of a more recognizable Ioniq 5 EV, and it’s truly impressive what the Korean firm achieved with the prototype.
As you can see in the video embedded at the top of this page, the purpose-built vehicle can rotate all of its wheels 90 degrees in the same direction, allowing the car to enter and exit a parallel parking space very easily.
But that’s not all, as the e-Corner system can basically do every move imaginable. The prototype Ioniq 5 is shown rotating all of its wheels at an angle of roughly 45 degrees, which makes the car spin 360 degrees for a seamless and fast zero-turn function.
Moreover, the concept can drive diagonally, just like the GMC Hummer EV, as well as a pivot function, which makes the rear wheels turn 90 degrees, enabling the vehicle to drive like a forklift.
Hyundai Mobis hasn’t released any other details about its e-Corner module, but it’s clear that it has a huge potential to simplify the whole assembly process of an EV, as well as offer extra maneuverability for drivers.
It also looks like a modern reinterpretation of a technology that was first seen way back in 1927 in Paris on a novel (back then) front-wheel drive car. There was also an American invention called The Park-Car, which was introduced in the 1930s and involved modifying the vehicle to add a fifth wheel in the back that would lower to the ground to facilitate parking.
You can watch both these vintage newsreels below:
What’s your take on this: would Hyundai’s e-corner prototype be of use in daily driving? Let us know in the comments below.
