In the auto industry today, battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) are becoming more commonplace and practical. Automotive groups and other companies are working to change city infrastructure for BEV charging. This means installing as many BEV charging spots as there are gas stations, and with every automaker starting a BEV plan for 2030, we’re going to see a lot more BEVs in the next few years. Automotive group Hyundai Motor is a large player in this shift, and the Kia Corp Plan S Strategy is pushing the group forward. The Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) even launched the Boston Dynamics AI Institute to further the advancement of robotics, so much as so to use the Boston Dynamics’ robot, ‘SPOT’, to explore outer space and transmit that back to consumers via the metaverse. In an age where BEV charging plants will soon become the norm, HMG developed a new Automatic Charging Robot to make it that much easier for consumers to charge up and go.

To break it down simply, the new Automatic Charging Robot has multiple features that make the whole act pretty straightforward.

•       The consumer can park in front of the robot or use Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA). The latter will cause the car to park itself, giving the consumer the freedom to walk away and run an errand nearby. Furthermore, the consumer can open the charging port wirelessly.
•       The Automatic Charging Robot uses a 3D camera-based artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to line up with the charging port and plug in.
•       Once connected, the robot displays a visual aid of its charging activity. A column of lights will glow, from orange to green, eventually reaching 100-percent with a completely green column.
•       While charging, the robot can also alert people walking by that the car is charging to avoid accidents, such as tripping over the cord or robot, and to promote safety.
•       Once charging is complete, the consumer gets a notification. The Automatic Charging Robot will unplug and go back into a stationary position. The consumer can remotely close the charging port.

Whether the BEV will move to another position or space in the parking lot is left to be seen. If technology catches up, this little robot could even be installed in consumer garages – maybe. We’ll know more about the capabilities of this Automatic Charging Robot by HMG during the 2023 Seoul Mobility Show from March 31 to April 9, 2023. HMG will have an exhibit there, so we’re sure to see something new.

The automotive group is known to do debut some interesting concepts, such as the Smart City Concept HMG announced at the 2022 World Cities Summit in Singapore. A model that details an ecosystem of mobility with RoboRide taxi services and other methods of large public transportation to provide personal and mass mobility. Not just on the ground, either. The HMG eVOTL urban aircraft with Uber is starting to “take off”, and the Smart City concept will include towers and landing pads to bring transport consumers through the air. Then, of course, there’s carbon neutrality, and making BEVs more popular and practical are all a part of that.

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Photo Source/Copyright: Kia Media