Hyundai Motor Group unveils nanotechnologies for future mobility

An official is demonstrating “self-healing polymer coating” technology at the Nano Tech Day 2023 event held by Hyundai Motor Group in Seoul on July 20. [Photo by Yonhap]

South Korea’s auto giant Hyundai Motor Group on Thursday unveiled six new nanotechnologies that will serve as the foundation for realizing future mobility.

One of the cutting-edge technologies presented by Hyundai Motor Group that owns Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. at the Nano Tech Day 2023 event in Seoul was the “self-healing polymer coating” that enables the car to repair its own scratches and restore surfaces nearly to their original condition within a few hours.

This technology utilizes the property of self-healing materials, where the split polymer within the coating chemically reacts to return to its original state when it sustains a scratch.

Hyundai Motor Group is considering applying this technology to the surface of camera lenses and LiDAR sensors used in autonomous driving cars.

The “tandem solar cells” introduced at the event are created by combining perovskite, a next-generation solar material, with silicon solar cells. By stacking two solar cells that absorb different spectral ranges of sunlight, it is possible to achieve an energy efficiency of more than 35 percent.

Hyundai Motor Group believes that by applying tandem solar cells to areas that receive direct sunlight, such as the engine compartment cover, top panel, and doors of eco-friendly vehicles, it will be possible to generate enough electricity for daily driving.

The goal is to secure an additional driving range of more than 20 kilometers per day by using solar power alone.

Another innovation presented was the “transparent radiant cooling film,” an eco-friendly technology that can be applied to vehicle glass to reduce the interior temperature without consuming energy even in hot weather.

It utilizes the phenomenon that the temperature decreases when an object emits more radiant heat than it absorbs. Hyundai and Kia are the first in the world to advance the technology to the point where it can be applied to vehicle glass, making it a competitive field for domestic automakers.

In addition, the new nanotechnology list includes the “oil capsule polymer coating” that reduces component wear using nano capsules, transparent solar cells that can be applied to windows that require transparent performance, and pressure-sensitive materials that identify user vital signs using pressure alone.