Automotive

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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
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  Hyundai Motor works with Kakao mobility to commercialize autonomous mobility services SEOUL -- South Korea's Hyundai auto group tied up with the mobility service wing of South Korean web service giant Kakao to demonstrate and commercialize autonomous mobility services, starting with a taxi-hailing service using Hyundai's autonomous vehicle called "Roboride" which is based on IONIQ 5 electric vehicle models. For self-driving that requires intervention by human drivers only in case of an emergency, the Roboride vehicle perceives, makes decisions, an 2022-09-19
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  Hyundai auto group unveils test buck for airport pickup PBV concept based on electric vehicle platform SEOUL -- South Korea's Hyundai auto group has unveiled a test buck for its airport pickup purpose built vehicle (PBV) concept based on an electric vehicle platform that can carry up to five people and their carriers. It has a door system that maximizes the opening width so that wheelchairs can quickly enter and exit. PBVs are a ground-based eco-friendly mobility solution that provides customized spaces and services for passengers in transit. "User experience (UX) means ev 2022-09-19
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  Seoul Semiconductor applies UV-C LED sterilization to Hyundai's G90 sedan SEOUL -- Seoul Semiconductor, a developer of light-emitting diodes in South Korea, has applied its ultraviolet-C (UV-C) LED sterilization technology to Hyundai Motor's new Genesis luxury flagship sedan G90. UV-C, also called Deep UV, emits ultraviolet light with short wavelengths. UV-C radiation is a known disinfectant for air, water and surfaces that can help mitigate the risk of acquiring an infection. GV90's backseat armrest storage box was installed with a UV-C LED ster 2022-09-15
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  Iljin Materials develops new Elecfoil copper foil with high tensile strength and elongation SEOUL -- Iljin Materials, the producer of core materials for lithium batteries in South Korea, has developed a new copper foil with characteristics of high tensile strength and elongation that can dramatically improve the mileage, power, and stability of electric vehicles. The company has expanded its warranty period from five months to one year by upgrading its technology to prevent oxidation. Iljin said the tensile strength of its ISS-T9 ISS-T9 Elecfoil, a thin copper foil used as 2022-09-15
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  SK Telecom consortium aims to launch UAM pilot service in Jeju in 2025 SEOUL -- A consortium involving SK Telecom and Hanwha Systems aims to launch a pilot service for urban air mobility in 2025 on South Korea's main resort island of Jeju by linking its airport and tourist attractions. As a leading tourist destination, the island was seen as an ideal test bed for air taxis due to its good airport facilities and well-maintained traffic infrastructure. Urban air mobility (UAM) is an ecosystem involving flying passenger vehicles in urban areas. SK Tel 2022-09-14
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  Jeongseok Chemical ready for commercial production of high-purity lithium sulfide for solid-state batteries SEOUL -- Jeongseok Chemical, a provider of various line marking paint products in South Korea, has localized the production of high-purity lithium sulfide (Li2S), which is used as a core material for solid-state batteries. A plant capable of producing 24 tons of lithium sulfide per year will be put into commercial operation in September. Jeongseok is to hold a ceremony on September 15 to complete a lithium sulfide production facility in Wanju, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) south 2022-09-13
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  Hyundai auto group bolsters strategic alliance with KT to develop future mobility technologies SEOUL -- Through a swap of shares worth about 750 billion won ($542 million), South Korea's Hyundai auto group bolstered its strategic alliance with KT, a top domestic telecom company, to develop future mobility technologies such as 6G autonomous driving and a satellite-based communication network for advanced air mobility. Urban air mobility (UAM) is an ecosystem involving flying passenger vehicles in urban areas. Advanced air mobility (AAM) builds upon the UAM concept by inco 2022-09-08