Hyundai has showcased a unique concept based on the Ioniq 5 EV called the Mobion that can crabwalk. Developed by its parts group, Hyundai Mobis, the concept gets an e-corner system that helps it turn all four wheels independently.
- Mobion gets individual electric motor, steering, braking for each wheel
- Does away with axle shafts, additonal braking components
- Gets new lighting system that projects messages to other drivers, pedestrians
This sounds similar to the Hummer EV's Crabwalk feature, but it isn't. The Hyundai Mobion concept’s wheels can rotate more than 90 degrees, thus allowing the car to move laterally.
The articulation seen on the Hyundai Mobion concept is way more complex than the simple four-wheel steering seen on quite a few cars these days, such as the all-electric G-Wagon. In the Mobion, each wheel gets its own self-enclosed powertrain which Hyundai Mobis calls “In-Wheel tech”, and includes an independent electric motor, braking, steering and suspension functions for each wheel.
All this helps the Ioniq 5-based Mobion concept do away with axle shafts or additional brake components threading into its underbody, which help it drive sideways, perform pivot turns and even pull out sharp donuts. Hyundai Mobis has also said that it has been working on this system for quite some time and will be revealing an even more upgraded version in the near future.
Apart from this unique wheel tech, the Mobion also gets a different exterior lighting system that's designed to alert other drivers of situations such as pedestrians crossing. It can also project images onto the ground, alerting others of the car's intended direction.
While none of this tech is expected to go into production anytime soon, we expect some of it to trickle into future production Hyundai cars and SUVs. The Ioniq 5 is currently on sale in India for a price of Rs 45.95 lakh, ex-showroom.
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