Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation today unveiled an ‘Active Air Skirt’ (AAS) technology which minimizes the aerodynamic resistance which is normally generated during high-speed driving. By managing the air flow under the car, AAS effectively improves driving range and stability of electric vehicles.
AAS controls the flow of air entering through the lower part of the bumper thereby the turbulence generated around the vehicle wheels during high-speed driving.
In the EV era, competition to secure a better driving range from a single charge has become fierce, making the relationship between vehicles and aerodynamics even more important. Furthermore, aerodynamic performance has a significant impact not only on power performance but also on driving stability and wind noise. Manufacturers are exploring various measures to reduce the coefficient of drag (Cd), which is the resistance of the air acting in the opposite direction of the vehicle’s motion.
AAS is hidden during normal operation, but lowers at speeds over 50 mph when the aerodynamic resistance becomes greater than the rolling resistance. It is stored again at 43 mph and below. The difference in deployment and storage speeds will help prevent frequent unnecessary deployments in certain speed ranges.
AAS can operate at speeds up to and beyond 124 mph. Rubberized material on the lower part of the skirt reduces the risk of road debris damaging the skirt.
Hyundai Motor and Kia announced that they have tested and reduced the drag coefficient (Cd) by 0.008, improving drag by 2.8 percent, when installing AAS on a Genesis GV60. This is a figure that can expect an additional range improvement of about 3.7 miles.
Hyundai Motor and Kia have applied for related patents in South Korea and the United States, and plan to consider mass production after durability and performance tests.
Hyundai Motor and Kia are applying various technologies, such as rear spoilers, active air flaps, wheel air curtains, wheel gap reducers and separation traps, to vehicles to secure competitive drag coefficients. Hyundai’s IONIQ 6, which incorporates many aerodynamic solutions has a word-class leading Cd of only 0.21.