Hyundai M.Vision Concept Debuts With Ability To Drive Sideways

In addition to the fleet of robots, Hyundai's CES lineup includes the M.Vision POP EV and M.Vision 2GO hydrogen-powered concepts for small mobility vehicles that have wheels that are capable of rotating 90 degrees for driving sideways or rotating without moving forward or backward. The result is vehicles that are easily able to make tight turns. The company plans to develop a skateboard chassis with four of these steering modules by 2023.

Hyundai calls the tech that makes these tight turns possible the e-corner module. Each one combines steering, braking, suspension, and driving ability. The company sees it as a core to building future vehicles with a focus on urban mobility that can easily maneuver in narrow environments.

The e-corner module has no mechanical connections between the various components. Hyundai says this aspect provides more design flexibility when creating a vehicle.  

The company developed the original concept for the e-corner module in 2018. The new version on display at CES this year is ready for practical use after completing functional testing. The next steps are reliability verification and a feasibility study on mass production. 

The skateboard chassis coming by 2023 would include an integrated controller for four e-corner modules. In 2025, the company wants the vehicle to be capable of autonomous driving. 

Hyundai has a vision of the future that includes lots of robots. They would be in your house to bring things to you. On the streets, people would be in individual pods that could attach together onto a larger vehicle similar to a bus. These machines could even replace ambulances in the company's imagined world.