Watch: This BMW i3 EV can almost turn on a dime. What's the secret behind it?

Turning a car in a congested parking space or in city traffic conditions is often a tricky affair. A video emerged online shows how a BMW i3 electric hatchback almost turns on a dime. Automotive News reports that it was a prototype equipped with a technology developed by German auto component manufacturer ZF, which allows a car to turn within a narrow radius, potentially making parallel parking and turning around in small spaces much easier for the drivers.

Dubbed the Easy Turn Strut, this technology developed by the German auto parts manufacturer is a strut suspension axle that can reduce a car's turning radius to as little as 5,700 mm, of the vehicle is also equipped with a rear-wheel steering system. The technology allows the front wheels to turn at up to 80 degrees. This eliminates the need for three-point turns for the vehicles, making turning in a congested parking spot highly convenient. ZF claims that in cars that don't come with rear-wheel steering, the technology can lower the turning radius to 6,800 mm, which is still much better than the average turning radius of a vehicle that goes to nearly 10 metres.

The technology claims to work best in a rear-wheel drive pure electric car, as the EVs don't come with an engine or any other mechanical parts coming in between the front wheels.

Parallel parking and turning around in small spaces has been a segment, where the automakers have been researching for a long time. In recent times, several automakers have introduced various technologies to solve the issues faced by drivers while parking in congested areas. Crab walking is one of the technologies that automakers have been working on for quite some time. In fact, Hyundai has showcased an Ioniq 5 doing the crab walk for parking in a tight space. GMC Hummer EV too comes with a similar technology.