Hyundai And Kia Will Allow Users To Adjust Future EVs’ Settings Via Smartphone

Hyundai Motor Group is developing a technology that will allow electric vehicle users to customize their car’s performance parameters via a smartphone app.

Named “smartphone-electric vehicle pairing based performance adjustment technology” (better find an acronym…), it will be implemented on future Hyundai and Kia vehicles. At the current stage of development, the tech allows drivers to adjust seven major performance features just by using their smartphones.

More specifically, they can modify parameters such as the maximum torque output of the motor, ignition, acceleration and deceleration abilities, regenerative braking capacity, maximum speed limit, responsiveness, and energy use on climate control.

Hyundai says the tech is an industry-first innovation that will allow drivers to use their custom settings in whichever electric vehicle they drive by simply downloading their profile from the server. This will come in handy, especially in rentals or car-sharing scenarios.

The app also provides optimized settings for a designated destination by analyzing the remaining distance and electric energy requirement. Additionally, it can recommend tailored performance settings to accommodate sportier driving.

Interestingly, users can share their customization settings online as well as try out other users’ custom settings; they can also choose to apply the ones recommended by Hyundai based on the condition of roads. To prevent security issues while users upload and share their custom settings on the server, Hyundai Motor Group will utilize blockchain technology.

“By developing paradigm-shifting mobility technology like this one, we will continue to strive to improve user experience for electric vehicles customized to individual preferences,” said JeongSoo Eo, a research fellow from Hyundai Motor Group.

The automaker says it will implement this novelty on future Hyundai and Kia electric vehicles. Although it has declined to name specific models, the Korean group plans to launch 23 EVs by 2025.