Hyundai and Kia have once again partnered up to create cunning new technology for their vehicles, and this time it’s a trick aero feature that is said to improve the driving range and stability of their EVs.
Called the ‘Active Air Skirt’, or AAS for short, the new device is essentially an active air dam mounted underneath the front bumper that controls the flow of air around the vehicle’s wheels depending on the speed travelled.
The device remains hidden until the car reaches 80km/h which is when the Korean carmaker says aerodynamic resistance becomes greater than the rolling resistance. AAS can operate at speeds over 200km/h but when it drops to 70km/h, the device is stored.
You’ll notice that the feature doesn’t span the full width of the vehicle, but rather only covers the front part of the tyres. Hyundai says this is because of the flat floor on its E-GMP platform which is slippery enough as is.
Speaking of slipperiness, testing showed that AAS reduced the drag coefficient of the fully electric Genesis GV60 by 0.008, or 2.8 per cent, allowing for 6km of extra range.
“This technology is expected to have a greater effect on models such as SUVs where it is difficult to improve aerodynamic performance,” said Sun Hyung Cho, Vice President and Head of Mobility Body Development Group at Hyundai Motor Group.
Hyundai and Kia have applied for patents for AAS in both South Korea and the United States as they plan to put it into mass production after ironing out the kinks.
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