Hyundai Mobis unveils advanced foldable steering wheel system

Hyundai Mobis, a South Korean auto parts firm and affiliate of Hyundai Motor, has revealed its latest innovative creation - a foldable steering wheel. The firm unveiled this on Monday, Oct. 11 and said that it has succeeded in developing a car wheel that can be folded when not in use.

The project is part of Hyundai Mobis’ preparations for the era of self-driving cars and this may soon be in the newest models of autonomous or even electric vehicles. The company said that this foldable steering wheel system will give more comfort to drivers as it can free up more in the driver’s seat.

The Korea Herald mentioned that Hyundai Mobis worked on developing this technology and achieved success after two years. This is said to be a totally new technology that has never been marketed globally before, but the firm is now filing documents for patents and the product may possibly be sold worldwide in the near future.

The foldable steering wheel can move forwards and backward up to 25 cm. to give the driver more space to rest while the vehicle is in autonomous driving mode. The driver’s seat could also be turned around to 180 degrees, while the wheel is folded to face the passengers in the back seat.

“Hyundai Mobis goes beyond simply reinterpreting existing technologies and instead develops parts technologies that apply to future cars in totally new ways,” Hyundai Mobis’ managing director, chassis/safety BU, Jang Don Choi, said in a press release. “We will continue to develop future-oriented innovations based on our know-how of core technologies.”

Hyundai Mobis stated that it had conducted numerous testing to see the reliability and durability of the steering wheel system. In the tests, it used different new technologies including the company’s own “Steer by Wire” steering system. The SBW has been described as a free-mounted steering system that features an electric signal that replaces mechanical movements.

Donga Ilbo added that the foldable steering system is compatible with SBW that automatically adjusts the wheel’s responsiveness based on the driving conditions to boost stability as well as minimize vibration being transferred to the steering wheel when passing road bumps through putting out mechanical connections.

The new Hyundai Mobis foldable steering wheel does not look like the standard circular wheels on vehicles but this one features the base with two stick-shaped handles. If in use, the handles are unfolded to the sides for steering.