If there is one thing the majority of drivers can agree on, it is that we all hate parallel parking. However, there may be a solution for those who find it challenging in the form of the e-Corner System technology by automotive supplier Hyundai Mobis.
However, the system is for more than just parallel parking, and Hyundai Mobis displayed its abilities in a demo video that shows an IONIQ 5 performing crab walking, zero turning, diagonal driving and pivot turning.
All of the features are enabled by the wheels turning up to 90 degrees simultaneously or separately. For those looking to simplify parallel parking, crab walking will be their guide. The feature turns all four wheels 90 degrees, which allows the car to execute parallel movement.
Zero turn rotates the front wheels inside and turns the rear wheels outside. With this, drivers can turn 360 degrees idly in a limited space and escape from a dead end.
Diagonal driving is intended to help vehicles smoothly avoid obstacles on the road. To do it, all four wheels turn 45 degrees in the same direction.
Finally, drivers can use pivot turn by choosing a point for the central axis. Once the point is selected, the front or rear wheels rotate accordingly and the vehicle turns.
The e-Corner System is a module that combines brake by wire, steer by wire, damper and in-wheel motor for each wheel.
According to Cheon Jae-seung, the head of the Future Technology Convergence Institute at Hyundai Mobis, the company aims to secure customized mobility solutions and apply them in autonomous driving and purpose-built vehicles.