Hyundai, Kia Evolve Winter Driving With Integrated Snow Chain Tech

That means no more stopping in a sleety, freezing carpark and skinning your swollen knuckles on the slushy ground. You can simply press a button to activate the chains with these tyres.

They are not traditional chains, but rather alloy modules that protrude from grooves placed around the tyres. Under normal circumstances, these grooves, which the carmakers describe as "at regular intervals, like a pizza," house the modules beneath the rubber surface, allowing the tyre to function like a regular tyre.

However, when it gets cold, pressing a button causes an electrical current to flow through the alloy, activating the modules that extend past the tire to increase traction. It is claimed that the design, which is currently pending patents in America and South Korea, offers greater traction than a conventional snow chain.

Joon Mo Park, head of advanced chassis development at Hyundai, stated, “this innovation, which will hopefully be introduced on Hyundai and Kia vehicles someday, reflects our commitment to turning advanced technologies into real-world solutions that benefit customers. We will continue to develop technologies that enhance safety and convenience of our vehicles and bring value to our customers.”