Hyundai Motor Group has showcased an automatic charging robot (ACR) for electric vehicles (EV) at the 2023 Seoul Mobility Show.

The ACR for EVs is a one-arm robot capable of plugging a cable into an EV’s charging port and removing it again once charging is complete. The Group did release some information about the charging robot in 2022 and now it appears to be a fully working machine.

In a video release, Hyundai showed that the robot can communicate with a stationary vehicle to open the charging port, calculating the exact location and angle through a camera mounted inside.

The robot then picks up the charger and fastens it to the vehicle’s charging port, starting the charging session. Once charging is complete, the robot removes the charger, returns it to its rightful place, and closes the cover of the vehicle’s charging port.

Hyundai Group says its engineers built a bespoke outdoor electric vehicle charging station at its R&D center and evaluated the ACR’s performance in various conditions. As a result, the company says, its performance has been greatly improved so that it can be stably operated even in extreme environments. In addition, engineers have installed a safety pole with a built-in laser sensor around the robot to prevent possible accidents by enabling it to detect stationary and moving obstacles.

Hyundai Group says it expects automatic charging robots to significantly increase convenience of EV charging, and if combined with autonomous parking control systems in the future, can improve use by sequentially charging several parked vehicles.

“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,” said Dong Jin Hyun, Head of Robotics Lab, Hyundai Motor Group. “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.”

Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (April 2023)

24 April 2023