Motorists have had to refuel their cars themselves since self-service was introduced at petrol stations decades ago. While the payment process has been made more convenient by having cashless facilities at the pump but the process of inserting the nozzle is still unchanged. Even with so much automation in the world, a human still has to do it.

For owners of electric vehicles (EVs), this process may be done by a robot in future, making it unnecessary for them to handle any equipment. It will improve safety and convenience, and be useful if the charger is in a spot where it is exposed when rain falls.

The Hyundai Motor Group has developed such a robot which can communicates with the vehicle, automatically open the charging port and plug in the cable. Referred to as an Automatic Charging Robot (ACR), it is still under development but a working prototype has been shown to the public following a CGI version revealed in July last year.