Hyundai Motor Group has unveiled a newly developed automatic charging robot (ACR) for electric vehicles (EV).
The one-armed robot can plug in and remove a cable from an EV’s charging port without intervention from the driver.
Hyundai has released a video of this robot in action to demonstrate its capabilities.
In the video, a Hyundai IONIQ 6 autonomously parks in an EV charging bay. Once the vehicle is stationary, the robot communicates with the vehicle to open the charging port and uses an internal camera to determine its exact location.
The robot then picks up the charging cable and attaches it to the vehicle’s charging port. Once charging is complete, the robot removes and returns the charger and closes the cover of the vehicle’s charging port.
Dong Jin Hyun, Head of Robotics Lab, Hyundai Motor Group said:The ACR will help to make EV-charging easier and more convenient, especially in dark environments. It will also improve accessibility, particularly for people with mobility barriers, as charging cables become thicker and heavier to enable high-speed charging. We will continue developing the ACR for increased safety and more convenience, so that all EV customers can soon benefit from using it at charging stations.
The newly unveiled EV charging robot will be on display at the 2023 Seoul Mobility Show from 31 March to 9 April.
Hyundai is not alone in its ambition to improve the convenience and accessibility of EV charging through the use of robotics. Last year, Ford trialled a hands-free robot charging station for EVs.
