Hyundai just reinvented the glove compartment. Here's how

Electric vehicles can offer several benefits like quietness, smooth power delivery and lower operating costs. Now, Hyundai Motor Group is adding another amenity to that list: a bigger and better glove compartment.

The newly designed glovebox is modeled on overhead bins in airliners, Hyundai Motor Group said Wednesday. It's both roomier inside and less likely to bonk front-seat passengers on the knees when its door is opened.

It will first appear in the EV9, a large electric SUV from Hyundai-affiliated brand Kia that goes on sale later this year.

The dashboard invention was the gold medal winner in an internal contest at Hyundai Mobis, the auto parts division of Hyundai Motor. Employees were asked to develop new concepts that could be put into production - but this one will work only in an electric vehicle. Here's why.

For decades, glove compartments in traditional gasoline-powered vehicles have been forced to compete for space with air conditioning machinery. The AC blower is usually positioned right behind the glove compartment - not only taking up space that could have been used to store things (mostly not gloves), but also ensuring the box door opens down onto a passenger's knees.

But in an electric vehicle, the lack of a big internal combustion engine under the hood frees up lots of space.

Some of that extra space can handle the blower unit which, in turn, frees up space for Hyundai Mobis's novel glove box design. The door, rather than just flapping down like traditional compartments, instead slides down slightly and out of the way as it's opened.