Hyundai Motor Company will focus capabilities from level of Hyundai Group to expand electric vehicles, charging infrastructures and service. It is releasing a new electric vehicle in 6 years after release of ‘BlueOn’ in 2010 and is planning to lead eco-friendly vehicle industry ecosystem centered on electric vehicles. Not only will Hyundai-Mobis will participate in developing electric vehicles, but Hyundai-Autoever and Hyundai-Mnsoft will also participate from front and back. In a situation where South Korean Government set supplies of 10,000 electric vehicles as its New Year’s goal, it is predicted that Hyundai Motor Company will have a sole lead in 2016 since release of new models by its global competitors is practically nonexistent.
According to electric vehicle industry on the 17th, Hyundai-Autoever and Hyundai-Mnsoft will participate in expanding service infrastructures and electric vehicle chargers for Hyundai Motor Company’s ‘IONIQ’ that will be released in first half of 2016.
Including chargers (7 kWh) that can be used at home, Hyundai-Autoever will be in charge of building and managing charging infrastructures in public parking lots and all Hyundai Motor Company’s dealerships. Hyundai-Mnsoft will be in charge of manufacturing Smartphone application that tells drivers about charging stations and current state of charge for electric vehicles.
Hyundai-Autoever will provide operating solution through its system engineering technology, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) supply of low and mid-speed chargers, and businesses that focus on charging technologies. Hyundai-Mnsoft is also currently developing solutions that combine Hyundai Motor Company’s information on charging infrastructures with information on charging infrastructures that is given by Korea Environment Corporation.
Hyundai Motor Company will also work with other companies other than its affiliates because not only is it planning to release battery electric vehicle (BEV), it is also planning to release many new models such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and others. Hyundai Motor Company is also pushing for a method that will connect with POSCO ICT’s charging infrastructures and Korea Electric Vehicle Charging Service, which is a private charging service business that Hyundai Motor Company put an equity investment of 24% in July. Korea Electric Vehicle Charging Service is planning to have 3,660 slow and rapid chargers all over in South Korea by 2018, and POSCO ICT is currently managing about 200 charging stations. Hyundai Motor Company is currently examining about a method where its customers use these charging infrastructures.
“Although we are discussing with Autoever and Mnsoft about developing charging infrastructures and applications for services respectively, we are currently examining from many different angles because Ministry of Environment’s policy on supplies of chargers is not decided based on finished car industries.” said a person affiliated with Hyundai Motor Company. “Because a car industry cannot do everything such as charging infrastructures and others, we are considering about working with Korea Electric Vehicle Charging Service and POSCO ICT.”
Hyundai Motor Company will first introduce its IONIQ at ‘3rd International Electric Vehicle Expo’ that will be held in Jeju Island in March of 2016 and plan to sell it sometime in first half of 2016. Global businesses that had been preparing to release their new models in South Korea either cancelled or postponed their plans of releasing their cars. IONIQ will be the only new model that will be released in South Korea.
Staff Reporter Park, Taejon | gaius@etnews.com & Staff Reporter Ryu, Jongeun | rje312@etnews.com