Hyundai patents wheels that can close their own spokes at speed

Hyundai and Kia have been granted US Patent 12,779,902 B2 for a wheel design intended to switch between open and closed configurations. The patent was granted on 3 November 2026, according to the patent record; the underlying application was first published in June 2025.

The design places a separate assembly behind the conventional spokes. It includes a rotating central ring and several blades. In one position, the blades sit behind the openings between the fixed spokes, effectively sealing them and improving the wheel’s aerodynamics. In another position, they tuck behind the spokes, allowing air to flow to the brakes. The structural spokes do not move; only the ring and blades move.

The patent describes several possible actuation methods, including electric motors, hydraulics, pneumatic actuators, or a shape-memory alloy component that changes length when activated. A spring or similar elastic mechanism can return the assembly to the open position, and a small control board can be mounted within the wheel to manage the system.

The idea is to resolve the usual trade-off between wheel aerodynamics and brake cooling. At highway speeds, Hyundai estimates that wheels and tyres account for around 25% of a vehicle’s aerodynamic resistance. Reducing that drag could help improve efficiency, while the option to open the wheel could preserve brake cooling when needed. Permanently sealed wheels would be more aerodynamic, but restricting airflow would make it more difficult to cool the brakes.

Hyundai and Kia have not said whether the system would activate at a particular speed, nor how much drag it would eliminate. As with many patents, the design may not reach production. It is also mechanically complex, which could matter if it were ever commercialised.