Automotive

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  SK on signs five-year contract to receive key lithium battery material from Chile's SQM SEOUL -- SK on, a battery maker affiliated with South Korea's SK Group, has signed a five-year contract to receive about 57,000 tons of lithium hydroxide, a key material for electric vehicle batteries, from SQM, a Chilean supplier of plant nutrients, iodine, lithium and industrial chemicals, as part of efforts to reduce its reliance on Chinese raw materials regulated by a U.S. inflation reduction act. Shipment is to begin in 2023. SK on said that the two sides would discuss futu 2022-11-07
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  Doosan Enerbility jumps into battery recycling market with eco-friendly method SEOUL -- Doosan Enerbility, a power plant equipment manufacturer in South Korea, jumped into the waste battery recycling market through cooperation with L & F, a domestic cathode active material producer, to extract lithium from waste powder generated during the production of cathode materials. With L & F's waste power, Doosan Enerbility will extracts lithium with its patented technology that selectively separates lithium using distilled water and extracts lithium carbon 2022-11-01
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  Hyundai Motor's hexagonal-shaped future city concept inspired by honeycomb pattern SEOUL -- A smart city reference model designed by South Korea's Hyundai auto group minimizes environmental damage by limiting development areas and preventing indiscriminate expansion. Inspired by a honeycomb pattern, the concept is a hexagonal-shaped urban development with a human-centered surface layer and a functional underground layer. The auto group unveiled a virtual public exhibition of the concept that envisions a sustainable green city where large natural areas are p 2022-10-31
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  POSCO opens solid electrolyte factory with initial production of 24 tons per year SEOUL -- South Korea's leading steel group POSCO opened a solid electrolyte factory capable of producing 24 tons per year. The group will expand production gradually as part of its strategy to become a global player in the battery material market. The solid electrolyte factory in Yangsan, some 290 kilometers (180 miles) southeast of Seoul, will be jointly run by POSCO Holdings and Jeong Kwang, a domestic solid electrolyte material manufacturer, which set up a joint venture name 2022-10-28
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  LGES signs supply deal with Australia's Syrah to receive 2,000 tons of natural graphite SEOUL -- LG Energy Solution signed a supply deal with Syrah Resources, a resource company based in Australia, to receive 2,000 tons of natural graphite, a key component of lithium-ion batteries, from a plant to be built in Louisiana. The deal will help the South Korean battery maker reduce its reliance on Chinese raw materials regulated by a U.S. inflation reduction act. Under a memorandum of understanding, LG Energy Solution (LGES) will increase the scale of cooperation with Syr 2022-10-20
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  Hyundai Rotem to install second hydrogen extractor at special demonstration zone SEOUL -- Hyundai Rotem, a subsidiary of South Korea's Hyundai auto group, will install its second hydrogen extractor at a fusion charging station that uses biogas to produce and supply high-purity hydrogen after its first extractor showed a stable run with an operating rate of 99 percent in a special demonstration zone in Chungju, some 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Seoul. In the demonstration zone that opened in March 2022, Hyundai Rotem installed its first hydrogen extracto 2022-10-18
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  Hyundai auto group reveals new roadmap to convert all cars to software-defined vehicles by 2025 SEOUL -- South Korea's Hyundai auto group revealed a new roadmap to convert all cars to software-defined vehicles by 2025 that can allow customers to remotely upgrade the performance and functionality of their vehicles anywhere at any time. The group expects 20 million vehicles to be registered to its connected car service worldwide by 2025. Connected vehicles provide personalized services such as software subscriptions. All models, including those already purchased, will be ap 2022-10-12
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  SK on makes equity investment in Australia's Lake to receive high-purity lithium for up to 10 years SEOUL -- SK on, a major battery maker affiliated with South Korea's SK Group, made a strategic equity investment in Lake Resources, a clean lithium developer based in Australia, to acquire a 10 percent stake and receive 230,000 tons of high-purity lithium for up to 10 years, starting in the fourth quarter of 2024. The deal underlines SK on's efforts to diversify a supply chain of raw materials for electric vehicle batteries. SK on said it has signed a conditional framewo 2022-10-12
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  Hyundai Mobis' new infotainment platform debuts at trade fair in Germany SEOUL -- An integrated next-generation infotainment platform, developed jointly by Hyundai Mobis, the parts-making wing of South Korea's Hyundai auto group, and its Swiss partner Luxoft, made its debut at an automotive trade fair in Germany. It is user-friendly by focusing on providing virtual personal assistants and artificial intelligence-based customized content. Hyundai Mobis described its Mobis infotainment system (MIS) introduced at the International Suppliers Fair (IZB) 2022-10-11
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  POSCO partners with GS Energy to set up joint venture for waste battery recycling SEOUL -- South Korea's top steelmaker POSCO partnered with GS Energy, an energy arm of GS Group, to extract rare metals from waste electric vehicle batteries by establishing a joint venture by the end of 2022 with a total injection of about 170 billion won ($121 million). The deal came after POSCO completed the construction of a battery recycling plant in Poland. POSCO Holdings will control 51 percent of the joint venture and the remainder to be held by GS Energy. "We hope 2022-10-06
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  KT builds exclusive 5G network for UAM demonstration at test center SEOUL -- South Korea's top telecom company KT has completed the construction and performance verification of a 5G network exclusively for urban air mobility (UAM), an ecosystem involving flying passenger vehicles in urban areas. UAM Team Korea, a public-private consultative body, aims to commercialize drone taxis in 2025. The Seoul government has worked out a "K-UAM Grand Challenge" program to demonstrate the safety of air taxis and test traffic management functions 2022-10-05
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  Stradvision aims to expand business beyond autonomous driving and driving assistance SEOUL -- Stradvision, an innovator in vision processing technology for autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems, aims to expand its business beyond autonomous driving and driving assistance to all industries where vision AI can be applied. Vision AI trains computers to replicate the human vision system and enables digital devices to identify and process objects in images and videos. Stradvision's deep learning-based software solution, SVNet an object recognit 2022-10-04
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  Hyundai Glovis acquires U.S. vehicle auction dealer GEAA to expand global business SEOUL -- Hyundai Glovis, the logistics wing of South Korea's Hyundai auto group, acquired Greater Erie Auto Auction (GEAA), a U.S. dealer in vehicle auction, to turn it into an online-oriented auction house by gradually introducing digital technologies such as a multi-channel network auction system and augmented reality. GEAA would be Hyundai Glovis' wholly-owned subsidiary, but financial terms were not disclosed. Utilizing its geographical advantages, ease of use, and ch 2022-10-04
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  SK ecoplant ties up with China's CNGR to tap Europe's waste battery recycling market SEOUL -- SK ecoplant, an environmental and energy solution provider affiliated with South Korea's SK Group, tied up with CNGR Advanced Material, a Chinese producer of lithium battery cathode material precursors, to tap Europe's waste battery recycling market. Under a collaboration agreement, SK ecoplant and CNGR would join forces to recycle waste batteries and revitalize the supply of raw battery materials such as nickel and cobalt, establish a European base, and seek new 2022-09-29
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  Youl Chon clinches $1.04 billion windfall contract to supply key material to LGES-GM joint venture SEOUL -- Youl Chon, a medium-sized company in South Korea, has clinched a six-year windfall contract worth $1.04 billion to supply a key material for lithium-ion batteries to a joint venture between General Motors and its Korean partner, LG Energy Solution. It marked the first case of aluminum pouch film mass production in South Korea. Pouch film production has been dominated by Japanese companies. Youl Chon said in a regulatory filing on September 28 that it would ship aluminum pou 2022-09-28
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  Self-driving mini-bus appears in downtown Seoul for pilot shuttle service SEOUL -- A self-driving mini-bus developed by 42dot, a software startup acquired by South Korea's Hyundai auto group, appeared in the streets of downtown Seoul for a pilot shuttle service as part of the capital city's project to introduce commercial autonomous shuttle services for public transportation by 2026. The eight-seater will be tested for three weeks on a 4.8-kilometer round-trip route on roads along the Cheonggyecheon stream running through downtown Seoul that has b 2022-09-26
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  SK Group head Chey strives to secure Zambian copper for battery foil SEOUL -- In an effort to secure a stable supply of raw materials for electric vehicle batteries, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won has strived to establish a cooperation model with Zambia, a copper mining powerhouse in Africa. Copper is used for battery foils that work as the bridge between external components and internal lithium-ion transports. At talks with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema in New York on September 20 (local time), Chey proposed cooperation in the fields of e 2022-09-23
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  PAV capable of setting down on land and water makes short test flight in Jeju SEOUL -- A one-seat personal air vehicle capable of setting down on land and water made a short unmanned test flight on South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju in a demonstration event that revealed a long-term strategy to turn the island with good airport facilities and infrastructure into a test bed for urban air mobility. A personal air vehicle (PAV) developed by Kencoa Aerospace, a domestic supplier of materials used in space and aircraft, was mobilized for an unmanned 2022-09-22
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  LGES develops cell-to-pack (CTP) technology to high-nickel pouch type batteries SEOUL -- In an apparent bid to win a battery war with Chinese rivals, LG Energy Solution, the battery-making wing of South Korea's LG Group, disclosed a new battery-making process by applying cell to pack technology to high-nickel pouch-type batteries for the first time in the industry. Nickel-rich batteries can save costs and extend the driving range. Cells are installed in form of modules and packs. A cluster of cells makes up a module and a cluster of modules make up a pack. 2022-09-20
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  Hyundai Motor joins hands with online streaming platform to strengthen OTT service for connected cars SEOUL -- In response to consumer demands for diversified experience and entertainment content inside cars, South Korea's Hyundai auto group joined hands with Wavve, a domestic online streaming platform, to strengthen its over-the-top video (OTT) service for connected cars that provide vehicle occupants with an optimized driving experience by linking a large amount of data that occurs while the vehicle is driving. Infotainment is a type of media, usually television or online, tha 2022-09-19