The Korean zero-emission saloon marks the debut of an innovative autonomous driving application. The laser system is integrated into the front of the car and interacts with standard safety equipment, making it possible to reduce costs.
Autonomous driving is the future of mobility, but the prototypes developed to date have raised some concerns among drivers. A "lukewarm" reception due not so much to the reduction — or outright elimination — of human intervention in vehicle management, but rather to the unconventional aesthetics, often tied to non-standard and far-from-aerodynamic shapes, as well as the limited integration between new technologies and existing vehicles. . The latter aspect is fundamental to reducing both engineering costs and the time to market for the first driverless cars produced in large series. Now, however, something is moving and, rather than a concept car designed to impress, we can speak of a first, genuine example of an autonomous driving vehicle derived from an electric model with "affordable" prices.
Self-driving cars will be as comfortable as living rooms, with modular interiors and spaces reminiscent of business class on an intercontinental flight. This is a horizon that will come to pass, but not in the short term. To reach the first real driverless applications, it is far more likely that the transition will go through the adaptation of existing electric models, so as to achieve a soft transition from conventional to autonomous control. One example of this is the Hyundai Ioniq saloon — the world's first car available with three sustainable powertrains: hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric. The Electric version of the Korean model was recently unveiled in an Autonomous Concept configuration, featuring the integration of the driverless driving modules into the front of the vehicle, so as to conceal from view the technology that makes it possible to travel without any human input.
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Unlike most autonomous driving prototypes, the new Ioniq Autonomous Concept integrates the Lidar system – an acronym for Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging – into the front of the car rather than on the roof. An innovation that works in favour of the vehicle's styling and aerodynamics, which are virtually identical to the original, while inside the cabin only a few additional displays are present. Even more importantly, cameras and lasers interact with the cruise control and sensors of the lane departure warning system – safety features that in both cases are already standard on the Korean saloon – optimising the computing system underpinning the autonomous technology and, consequently, the design and production costs.
The Lidar system, which consists of a remote sensing technique capable of determining the distance of an object or surface using a laser pulse, works in conjunction with the Ioniq's front radar. The latter, specifically, is tasked with detecting the speed of both the car itself and other vehicles, while three cameras recognise pedestrians, road signs and lane markings. The GPS, finally, monitors the vehicle's position using maps from the Hyundai MnSoft programme. Testing of the first autonomous Ioniq models has already begun on roads across North America, and the Korean manufacturer will present the most advanced version of the car at the upcoming CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas — the world's largest consumer electronics show — scheduled from 5 to 8 January 2017.
The debut of an autonomous driving vehicle close to series production and characterised by affordable costs is all the more noteworthy when one considers that the Hyundai Ioniq Electric was recently awarded by the Epa, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the accolade of most efficient electric car on the market. A distinction earned by virtue of the recorded average consumption of 136 MPGe (miles per gallon of equivalent fuel). In less technical terms, this means that the Ioniq Electric travels 136 miles (approximately 219 kilometres) for every 33.7 kWh consumed. That figure is considered equivalent to the energy released by one gallon of conventional fuel. The Korean saloon is therefore the most efficient and least expensive electric car to recharge in the world. An advantage that can be quantified as a saving of approximately 500 dollars (480 euros) per year compared to the category average.