Hyundai’s New Concept Makes Parallel Parking a Breeze

Expensive new electric vehicles like the GMC Hummer EV and Rivian R1T truck feature Crab Walk or Tank Mode, allowing the wheels to turn in unconventional ways. Hyundai’s new concept IONIQ 5 can do the same, making parallel parking easier than ever.

Shown off at CES 2023 last week, Hyundai’s Mobis division debuted the latest version of its “e-Corner” technology. It could soon allow vehicles to drive sideways for parallel parking, do a zero-turn function, or turn around 180 or 360 degrees while staying in the same spot. It’s pretty impressive, and once you see the demo below, you’ll understand why.

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The concept IONIQ 5 can turn all four wheels in one direction, then “crab drive” sideways to park. The “zero turns” function turns all the wheels outwards and can easily spin the car around to maneuver out of a tight spot. The company also showcased diagonal driving, something we’ve seen on the $115,000 Hummer EV, but Hyundai’s looks better, honestly.

Hyundai isn’t the first one working on these technologies. GM will debut 4-wheel steering on the Silverado EV for an improved turn radius on its large truck, Elon Musk says the Cybertruck will get a crab walk mode, Rivian’s R1T electric truck can already do a few of these tricks, and Ford is working on it as well.

The new Hyundai e-Corner mode uses electric motors, brake by wire, and electric dampers as an all-in-one package for nearly any electric vehicle or PHEV. It doesn’t take up any additional space under the wheel well and should be easy to incorporate in upcoming electric vehicles.

This is far more advanced than any production system we’ve seen. That said, you’ll need a quad motor configuration for this to work, as all four wheels need their own independent motor, which increases costs. It’ll likely be an expensive upgrade on high-end models but could eventually trickle down to mainstream vehicles.

While some of the zero-turn modes aren’t all that useful for daily driving, I’m sure people everywhere would love and appreciate the parallel park feature.

via Inside EVs