Hyundai Mobis, which is the Korean brand’s parts and smart mobility arm, revealed a system that can automatically adjust an electric vehicle’s ride height by up to 2.3 inches (6 centimeters), acting in a similar way to a premium air suspension setup, but with the added benefit of affordability.
The system, dubbed Electronic Leveling Control (ELC), was developed in cooperation with Hyundai Motor Company to protect EV batteries, increase driving range, and make it easier to get in and out of vehicles by raising or lowering the suspension.
According to the official press release, Hyundal’s ELC uses an electric hydraulic pump to control the height of the vehicle from all four wheels, with sensors detecting changes in the car’s height while going down the road. After analyzing the driving speed and the gross vehicle weight, the system automatically controls the ride height, but it can also allow the driver to manually select a height level as needed.
Hyundai says there are a lot of benefits to controlling a vehicle’s height, especially in an EV, where the floor-mounted high-voltage batteries can be better protected from poor road surfaces by raising the vehicle. At the same time, it can lead to an increase in driving range by lowering the height and thus making the car slightly more aerodynamic. The center of gravity also becomes lower this way, which leads to improved driving performance.
Moreover, when applying the ELC on passenger vehicles, convenience can be improved by automatically lowering the vehicle when one of the doors opens. In other words, it’s something similar to the so-called Kneel Mode offered by the Rivian R1T and R1S, both of which have air suspension.
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By the looks of it, it seems to be a more sophisticated, computerized version of the hydropneumatic suspension introduced by Citroen way back in 1954 on the rear axle of the Traction Avant and subsequently on the iconic DS.
Park Jung-hun, Vice President, Head of the Safety Parts Lab, Hyundai Mobis, said, "ELC is a technology that has been developed to be applicable not only in the EV and the PBV market, but also in high-performance cars. We expect ELC to attract a huge amount of attention in the future mobility market as it will materialize different new features."
The Korean company says that it plans on developing a version of the Electronic Leveling Control system that makes use of a front-road-scanning camera and navigation data to basically prime the suspension for upcoming potholes or bumps in the road, similar to what Mercedes-Benz offers with its Magic Body Control suspension.
Both Hyundai Mobis and Hyundai Motor Motor Company are currently verifying the reliability of the ELC system on test vehicles, with the promise that it will “soon be made available in the market.”
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