Hyundai Mobis develops special leveling control for EVs
South Korean automotive supplier Hyundai Mobis, part of the Hyundai Motor Group, has announced a new system called Electronic Leveling Control (ELC) for electric vehicles. The ELC control system allows drivers to adjust the height of the vehicle to best fit driving circumstances.
At present, leveling control is almost exclusively available on vehicles with air suspension, i.e. usually rather high-priced vehicles where air suspension is, in some cases, still an optional extra. With ELC, lower-priced EVs with a chassis based on steel springs should also be able to enjoy the benefits of level control. “What is great about ELC is that you can enjoy the features you expect to see in premium air suspension systems,” Hyundai Mobis writes.
According to the supplier, the vehicle height can be adjusted up or down by up to six centimetres with ELC. That could prevent damage to the high-voltage battery on the vehicle’s underside, for example, when parking on curbs or driving on unpaved roads. When driving on the highway, lowering the car minimizes air resistance and thus increases the range. The system also improves handling by lowering the centre of gravity, the company says.
ELC uses an electric hydraulic pump to control the vehicle’s height on all four wheels. Sensors mounted on the car are said to detect changes in vehicle height based on vehicle speed and gross vehicle weight rating, and the car then adjusts the height automatically. Alternatively, the height can be adjusted manually if necessary. Hyundai Mobis says it plans to develop ELC technology in conjunction with its front-road scanning camera and navigation data in the future.
“ELC is a technology that has been developed to be applicable not only in the EV and the PBV market, but also in high-performance cars,” says Park Jung-hun, Vice President and Head of the Safety Parts Lab at Hyundai Mobis. “We expect ELC to attract a huge amount of attention in the future mobility market as it will materialize different new features.”
0 Comments