Hyundai Motor Group (the Group) announced that it will participate for the first time in the World Smart City Expo 2024 (WSCE). The expo will be held from September 3–5 at KINTEX in Korea, showcasing human-centered smart city solutions.
WSCE is a global expo where the latest technologies, policies and solutions for smart cities are shared and discussed. It has been held eight times since its inception in 2017 under the sponsorship of the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Ministry of Science and ICT.
Last year, a total of 320 companies from 70 countries participated, introducing various solutions for future cities, such as smart infrastructure and energy efficiency. This year, various experiences and exhibitions will be held under the slogan ‘Better Life is Here.’
At this year’s WSCE, the Group is set to envision a future city where technology seamlessly integrates the city’s three core elements: Space, Mobility and Energy.
“Our commitment extends beyond mobility; we strive to innovate continuously to enhance life quality across various aspects of our cities,” said Heung-Soo Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of the Global Strategy Office (GSO) at Hyundai Motor Group. “We will continue to leverage our Group-wide capabilities to realize sustainable smart cities that inspire human progress under the key areas: space, mobility, and energy.”
The Group has prepared a 900-square-meter exhibition hall where visitors can get a glimpse of its smart city vision, ‘Inspiring Human Progress.’ The exhibition hall will also be divided into three themes: ‘Transportation,’ ‘Logistics and Robotics’ and ‘Energy and Infrastructure.’
In the ‘Transportation’ zone, the DICE (Digital Curated Experience) personal mobility platform, the S-A2 next-generation airframe, the SPACE-Mobility public system, the demand-responsive Shucle service, and others are on display.
DICE is a personal mobility platform that provides customized services through software technology optimized for individuals by artificial intelligence (AI). It allows for a more immersive travel experience through a three-sided display.
Unveiled at CES 2024, the S-A2 next-generation airframe is an advanced air mobility (AAM) device capable of vertical takeoff and landing. Group subsidiary Supernal is developing the S-A2 airframe to fly at a cruising speed of 200 km/h at an altitude of 400-500 meters in the city. The company aims to commercialize S-A2 in 2028.
The SPACE-Mobility public system allows anyone, including those with transportation difficulties, to enjoy unrestricted movement. It provides optimized space and customized seats according to user conditions and supports comfortable boarding and alighting for wheelchairs, micro-mobility devices, pets, etc., through ground control functions.
In the ‘Logistics and Robotics’ zone, the City Pod logistics mobility device, Parking Robot and Easy Swap are on display.
City Pod is an unmanned, large logistics mobility device that surpasses the limits of existing systems based on software technology. It is equipped with an automatic logistics classification system that moves organically and actively at all stages. It uses hydrogen energy technology and is expected to be used diversely in daily life and industrial sites, including logistics, public transportation, industrial raw materials and waste transportation, and hydrogen energy transportation.
Easy Swap is a technology that allows users to replace life modules according to the consumer’s style. Users can detach the business module from the fixed platform, called the driver module, through the boarding and alighting device and combine it with another module suitable for the purpose. This allows one vehicle to be used as an office, luxury limousine, camper, etc.
The Parking Robot, developed by Hyundai WIA, is a pair of thin, wide robots that go under the vehicle, lift the wheels, and move them. The robot’s thickness is designed to be 110 mm so that it can be applied to any vehicle. It has been developed to move in any direction — front, back, left and right — so that it can move vehicles even in narrow spaces where parking is difficult.
The park exhibit, in the ‘Energy and Infrastructure’ zone at the center of the booth, embodies the Group’s vision for a smart city: a place where people can stroll amidst abundant greenery, reflecting the ideal of a city living in harmony with nature. Through a structure in the form of a telescope, visitors can indirectly experience the design of an underground space centered on functions equipped with mobility, logistics and energy infrastructure.
Through the infographic stand installed on the outskirts of the park, the image of a sustainable future city that considers not only people and nature, but also future generations are conveyed. This is based on the hydrogen value chain from the production, movement, and storage to utilization.
Next, the Group plans to build a smart city platform that seamlessly connects mobility solutions and infrastructure. The core of a smart city is to connect all infrastructure and services in the city into one to manage them efficiently and provide a better lifestyle. In line with the Group’s strategic direction of transforming into software-oriented mobility, it will build an urban ecosystem where data can be interconnected and operated to create a more convenient and safer urban environment.
The Group will also release a manifesto film to articulate the core values, philosophy, and purpose of its smart city in a relatable way. This film focuses on more than just the Group’s innovative technology; it brings to life the smart city values that center on humanity and the everyday lives of people. Using cinematic techniques, the film conveys the smart city philosophy where people, not technology, are the main characters. It avoids the common sci-fi feel associated with future depictions and instead adopts a warm tone to portray a future that is desirable for people.
SOURCE: Hyundai
