Hyundai and Kia have unveiled a new ‘Active Air Skirt’ technology for electric vehicles. The new Active Air Skirt minimises the aerodynamic resistance generated during high-speed driving. This helps improve the driving range and stability of electric vehicles. In addition to this, the Active Air Skirt technology also helps improve the top speed of the vehicle by reducing the aerodynamic drag.
‘Active Air Skirt’ or AAS for short deploys on the lower part of the front bumper. This creates an air dam controlling the flow of air entering underneath the front bumper. The Air Skirt effectively controls the turbulence generated around the vehicle wheels. AAS deploys variably depending on the vehicle speed during high-speed driving.
The skirt is installed between the front bumper and the front wheels of the vehicle. The Air Skirt comes down when the vehicle achieves the speed of 80 kmph and is and is stored again at 70 kmph. During urban operations, under the specific speed, the skirt remain hidden and stowed away to avoid damage. In addition to this, the lower part of the skirt also features a rubber material ensuring durability.
Hyundai and Kia have revealed that AAS helps reduce the drag coefficient (Cd) by 0.008. While it may sound like a small and negligible amount, the conversion in percentage is 2.8%. This finally converts to a range improvement of 6 km. Hyundai and Kia have installed the AAS in the Genesis GV60. Furthermore, AAS can also operate at speeds over 200 kmph as well.
Hyundai and Kia are also applying various technologies such as rear spoilers, active air flaps, wheel air curtains, wheel gap reducers and separation traps. The Hyundai IONIQ 6 incorporates these technologies and has a Cd of 0.21. In the near future, Hyundai and Kia also plans to mass produce the AAS technology and have filed for related patents in South Korea and the United States.
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