To be shown at the upcoming Seoul Mobility Show starting March 31, the ACR for EVs is a one-arm robot capable of plugging a cable into an EV’s charging port and removing it again once charging is complete.

You can check the video below, but it shows the ACR communicating with a Hyundai Ioniq 6 to open the charging port, calculating the exact location and angle through a camera mounted inside.

The robot then picks up the charger and fastens it to the vehicle’s charging port, thus starting the charging session. Once charging is complete, the robot removes the charger, returns it to its rightful place, and closes the cover of the vehicle’s charging port.

The ACR, which may appear deceptively simple at first glance, is an example of Hyundai Motor Group’s advanced robot technology. The group’s Robotics Lab has considered diverse variables in developing the ACR, such as the parking location of the vehicle, the shape of the charging port, the weather, potential obstacles, and weight of the charging cable.

In order for a robot to fasten a charger to the charging port securely, software technology that can simultaneously calculate these multiple variables is required. To this end, engineers have developed an algorithm that applies 3D camera-based AI technology to robots, and next-generation control technology based on this application allows robots to accurately handle heavy chargers.

Given that most EV chargers are installed outdoors without cover, Hyundai’s engineers built a bespoke outdoor electric vehicle charging station at its R&D center and evaluated performance in various conditions. As a result, the ACR has secured a waterproof and dustproof grade of IP65, and its performance has been greatly improved so that it can be stably operated even in extreme environments. In addition, engineers have installed a safety pole with a built-in laser sensor around the robot to prevent possible accidents by enabling it to detect stationary and moving obstacles.

The Hyundai Motor Group, which counts Kia and Genesis under its portfolio, expects automatic charging robots to significantly increase the convenience of EV charging, and if combined with autonomous parking control systems in the future, can improve utilization by sequentially charging several parked vehicles.