Efficiency is king in the world of BEVs, as witnessed by Hyundai’s recent unveiling of its Active Air Skirt (AAS) system, an active drag reduction system.

It is intended to control the flow of air entering the lower bumper area to control turbulence around the front wheels depending on speed. The AAS is installed between the front bumper and the front wheels of the vehicle and is hidden during normal operation. It comes into operation at speeds over 80km/h when the aerodynamic resistance becomes greater than the rolling resistance, and is stowed again at 70km/h. The reason for the difference in deployment and storage speeds is to prevent frequent operation in this transient area.

The AAS only covers the front part of the tires without shrouding the entire front of the vehicle, due to the flat floor layout of Hyundai’s E-GMP chassis. According to Hyundai, this layout also helps reduce lift, thereby improving vehicle traction and high-speed stability.

AAS can operate at speeds of over 200km/h thanks to the use of a rubber material on the lower part, which reduces the risk of damage due to road debris.

During testing, the device was shown to reduce the drag coefficient (Cd) by 0.008, improving drag by 2.8% when fitted to a Genesis GV60. This equates to an expected range improvement of about 6km.

“This technology is expected to have a greater effect on models such as SUVs where it is difficult to improve aerodynamic performance,” said Sun Hyung Cho, VP and head of the Mobility Body Development Group at Hyundai. “We will continue to strive to improve the driving performance and stability of electric vehicles through improvements in aerodynamics.”

The system will work in unison with other aerodynamic devices already in use by Hyundai, such as rear spoilers, active air flaps, wheel air curtains, wheel gap reducers and separation traps.

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