Automotive

• 
  Hyundai Mobis unveils smart cabin controller to monitor and analyze biometric signals in real time for safe driving SEOUL -- Hyundai Mobis, the parts-making unit of South Korea's Hyundai auto group, unveiled a smart cabin controller that can monitor and analyze various biometric signals such as driver's posture, heart rate, and brain wave in real time to ensure safe driving or prevent drunk and drowsy driving. The system consists of four sensors, a controller that analyzes bio-signal information, and software logic. This is the world's first healthcare-only controller that can integra 2022-06-23
• 
  Two Hanwha units invest $115 million in American UAM partner Overair SEOUL -- Two units of South Korea's Hanwha Group will invest $115 million together in their American partner, Overair, which develops electric and hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOLs, for urban air mobility (UAM), an ecosystem covering personal air vehicles and infrastructure. The two companies acquired Overair's convertible note, which is a form of short-term debt that converts into equity, typically in conjunction with a future financing round 2022-06-14
• 
  Researchers localize laser LED hybrid headlamps for commercial vehicles SEOUL -- South Korean researchers have localized laser light-emitting diode hybrid headlamps that can be applied to commercial vehicles and digital lights. Laser headlamps can focus light on a narrow area, reduce the size of optical systems, and enable free design. The Korea Photonics Technology Institute (KOPTI) has applied an ultra-precision optical system design to develop new headlamps which can easily recognize vehicles and people from long distances while minimizing the obs 2022-06-13
• 
  Hyundai Steel's new alloy steel for EV reduction gears wins state certification SEOUL -- Hyundai Steel's new alloy steel for reduction gears, which is a high-performance material for electric vehicles, has secured government certification as a new excellent technology that will receive state support for early commercialization. An electric vehicle has reduction gears between its motor and wheels. Hyundai Steel, the steel-making unit of South Korea's Hyundai auto group, said it has developed alloy steel manufacturing technology for reduction gears. Hyun 2022-06-09
• 
  Pilot car-hailing service using self-driving electric vehicles begins in crowded urban district SEOUL -- A pilot car-hailing service using two electric vehicles with autonomous driving technology began in one of the most congested areas in Seoul. South Korea's Hyundai auto group has turned IONIQ 5 models into self-driving vehicles that require intervention by human drivers only in case of an emergency. A ceremony was held on June 9 at a Hyundai Motor building to launch the pilot service called "RoboRide" in Gangnam, a crowded commercial district in southern Seou 2022-06-09
• 
  LG Chem establish precursor joint venture with domestic firm to strengthen battery material value chain SEOUL -- LG Chem, a chemical unit of South Korea's LG Group, will establish a precursor joint venture with a domestic company to strengthen its battery material value chain. Precursors are raw materials for cathodes, which are manufactured by combining metals such as nickel, cobalt, manganese, and aluminum. KEMCO will own 51 percent of the joint venture, and LG Chem controls 49 percent. The construction of a joint venture plant is to begin in July for mass production in the sec 2022-06-02
• 
  Research body develops device capable of reducing vibration and impact in railway cargo transportation SEOUL -- South Korea's state-run railway research body has developed a device that can reduce the vibration and impact of transporting vulnerable railway cargo such as electronic products, flat panel displays and semiconductors. It was described as a practical and economical device that is easy to install and remove with a simple configuration. The vibration reduction device can prevent cargo damage by reducing more than 60 percent of vibration and 80 percent of impact by usin 2022-05-24
• 
  Volkswagen vehicle installed with LGES battery sets new Guinness record in Bolivia mountain SEOUL -- A Volkswagen vehicle installed with a high-capacity and high-performance battery from LG Energy Solution, a major battery maker in South Korea, has set a new Guinness record as the world's highest driving electric vehicle which was tested in rough terrains in a dormant volcano in Bolivia. Volkswagen's new top-of-the-range model, ID.4 GTX, has successfully completed its mission to drive Mount Uturuncu in the Sur Lípez Province of Bolivia on May 18. The moun 2022-05-24
• 
  Hyundai Mobis unveils next-generation 'swivel' display for self-driving cars SEOUL -- Hyundai Mobis, the parts-making unit of South Korea's Hyundai auto group, has developed the world's first variable display technology that moves a large curved screen. It is optimized for an integrated diver's seat system for self-driving cars. The 34-inch swivel screen applied with 6K high-resolution OLED panels moves up and down. It is a multi-curved screen that can be bent in three stages from top to bottom, Hyundai Mobis said, adding that the display can be 2022-05-20
• 
  Hyundai auto group unveils massive investment plan to boost domestic electric vehicle production SEOUL -- In an unheralded announcement, South Korea's Hyundai auto group came up with the proposed investment of some 21 trillion won ($16.6 billion) to boost the domestic production of electric vehicles to 1.44 million units per year by 2030. The domestic production of electric vehicles in 2022 is estimated at 350,000 units. Without specifying where and how much their investment will be funneled, Hyundai Motor and its affiliate, Kia Motors, vowed to enhance a domestic electri 2022-05-18
• 
  Hyundai Motor works with domestic firm to develop lidar for self-driving robots SEOUL -- As part of its strategy to implement a new "Mobility of Things" ecosystem using robots, South Korea's Hyundai auto group will work with a domestic company to develop a miniaturized lidar system for mobile robots. The goal is to develop a self-driving robot that can move stably between obstacles or on uneven roads by expanding the range of object recognition. Hyundai Motor Group said that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Smart Optical Sensors 2022-05-17
• 
  Hyundai's future mobility concept envisages Ondol underfloor heating method SEOUL -- South Korea's Hyundai auto group has released a future mobility concept that would allow passengers to fully rest while on the move in the era of self-driving by applying a specially designed "full-flat" seat and a unique heating system inspired by the underfloor heating method of Ondol that can maintain heat for an extended period and keeps both the floor and the air warm. In traditional Korean architecture, Ondol used heat from kitchen furnaces to warm the 2022-05-16
• 
  Hyundai Mobis works with German partner Vector to develop AUTOSAR-based standard software platform SEOUL -- Hyundai Mobis, a parts-making wing of South Korea's Hyundai auto group, will develop a standard software platform with its German partner, Vector, to maximize the competitiveness of vehicle software in the global automobile market. Hyundai Mobis has signed a memorandum of understanding with Vector for the joint development of AUTOSAR-based software platform. AUTOSAR is a development partnership of automotive interested parties with the aim of creating an open and sta 2022-05-12
• 
  Vertical Aerospace joins consortium to demonstrate UAM service in S. Korea SEOUL -- Vertical Aerospace, a British aerospace manufacturer, will provide its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft as the sixth member of a South Korean consortium that will participate in the demonstration of urban air mobility (UAM), an ecosystem covering personal air vehicles and infrastructure. Vertical Aerospace's eVTOL aircraft is the same model that will make a pilot flight along established flight paths in Paris during the 2024 Olympics. Vertical Aer 2022-05-11
• 
  Autonomous trucking company Mars Auto raises $12 million Series A SEOUL -- Mars Auto, an artificial intelligence startup that develops self-driving technology for trucks in South Korea, has raised $12 million in the Series A funding round led by GFT Ventures, a venture capital investment firm based in California, reflecting investors' interest in the level of the company's technology development. Autonomous truck driving must be implemented with completely different models in a high-speed environment. Mars Auto develops a perception-ba 2022-05-04
• 
  Hyundai Motor's first metamobility NFT collection to be offered through official NFT website SEOUL -- South Korea's Hyundai auto group will offer its first exclusive metamobility non-fungible token (NFT) collection, "Shooting Star," through its official NFT website. A full-fledged NFT project will be created within the concept of the group's metamobility universe. As the first automaker which has built a global NFT community, Hyundai Motor launched an official website on May 2, as well as dedicated channels on Twitter and Discord, a VoIP, instant messagin 2022-05-03
• 
  Doosan Fuel Cell partners with Canada's Ballard to develop hydrogen fuel cell system for mobility SEOUL -- Doosan Fuel Cell partnered with Ballard Power Systems, a Canadian manufacturer of polymer-electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), to develop a hydrogen fuel cell system for mobility. PEMFC is being developed mainly for transport applications as well as for stationary and portable fuel-cell applications due to its high energy efficiency, simple structure and excellent durability. Hydrogen fuel cells use hydrogen as fuel to produce electricity. Small-sized cells are insta 2022-04-28
• 
  Solus clinches 5-year contract to ship copper foils for ACC electric vehicle batteries SEOUL -- Solus Advanced Materials, an electric component and copper product maker in South Korea, has secured a five-year contract to provide copper foils to Automotive Cells Company, an automotive battery producer in Europe. Copper foils for secondary batteries work as the bridge between external components and internal lithium-ion transports. In a deal worth some 200 billion ($158 million), Solus said that its subsidiary in Hungary would ship copper foils for five years from 20 2022-04-27
• 
  SK Telecom aims to launch air tax service with eVTOL from American partner Joby Aviation SEOUL -- SK Telecom aims to launch an air tax service based on an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) from its American partner, Joby Aviation. On a trial basis, the mobile carrier will introduce an unspecified number of eVTOL units from Joby. SK Telecom (SKT) said it has secured an advantageous position on the introduction of Joby's eVTOL in South Korea. The deal followed a strategic partnership signed by the two companies in February 2022 to cooperate in urb 2022-04-25
• 
  LG Chem develops plastic material capable of delaying flame propagation in battery pack SEOUL -- LG Chem, a chemical unit of South Korea's LG Group, has developed a highly functional fire-retardant engineering plastic material that delays thermal runaway in electric vehicle batteries for the longest time in the world. The commercial construction of the new material that can help drivers earn time to evacuate and extinguish a fire is to begin in 2023. LG Chem said its fire-retardant engineering plastic material can help prevent flame propagation caused by thermal 2022-04-25