Fill 'er up thanks: Hyundai unveils 'Automatic Charging Robot' for electric cars

Hyundai wants to revive at least one aspect of the golden days of motoring, unveiling a new automated charging robot that will approach your EV on its own and kick off the charging process.

Apart from the convenience factor, the new system could prove heaven-sent for motorists with reduced personal mobility.

The 'does what it says on the label' Automatic Charging Robot (ACR) is a one-armed contraption capable of plugging a cable into an EV’s charging port and removing it again once charging is complete.

A new video demonstrates the ACR’s capabilities and how it overcomes accessibility issues and inconvenience for some EV drivers.

In the video, the ACR communicates with the Hyundai IONIQ 6 EV to open the charging port, accurately plugging the charger into the port with control technology applied by a 3D camera-based system.

Hyundai says the ACR was developed to operate reliably in all environments, regardless of charger location, weather and potential obstacles.

Importantly, the ACR also has the benefit of looking less creepy than the snake-like Tesla prototype revealed seven years ago – looking for all the world like it'd been lopped off Doctor Octopus's tentacle suit.

Hyundai's ACR is designed to increase convenience for EV drivers, particularly those with mobility barriers, as charging cables become thicker and heavier to enable high-speed charging.

The company says its team 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.

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Further pointing to its production plans, Hyundai has secured an official waterproof and dustproof grade of IP65 for the ACR, which makes it possible to be stably operated even in extreme environments.

The ACR is an example of the Group’s developing robot tech – bolstered by its acquisition of Boston Dynamics.

Hyundai predicts robots will support humans with EV charging in the near future, and that automatic charging robots will significantly increase the convenience of EV charging, potentially leading to even better utilisation by sequentially charging several parked vehicles.