Hyundai, Kia and LG Chem have launched a start-up competition to identify promising newcomers in the field of e-mobility. The ‘EV & Battery Challenge’ calls domestic and foreign start-ups developing technologies and business models for EVs and batteries.

In 2014, Hyundai-Kia installed the first heat pump in the Kia Soul EV. Since then, the Korean companies have continued to develop the technology – in a new article, they provide some insights into the development.

According to a British media report, the Prophecy electric concept vehicle recently presented by Hyundai will go into series production and is to replace the Ioniq. The new electric limousine could come onto the market by 2021.

The English electric van manufacturer and vehicle developer Arrival has moved into a new plant in Bicester. The new factory in Oxfordshire is to build, among other things, the electric delivery vans from UPS’ bulk order.

The US American electric vehicle startup and the South Korean automotive giant have teamed up in an engineering partnership to develop electric vehicles. Canoo and Hyundai will co-develop an electric vehicle platform based on Canoo’s skateboard technology to be used for upcoming Hyundai and Kia EVs and PBVs (Purpose Built Vehicles).

Hyundai and Kia are investing 100 million euros in the British electric vehicle developer Arrival. The Korean manufacturers want to use Arrival’s platform to develop electric commercial vehicles for various applications such as logistics or ride hailing and shuttle service companies.

SK Innovation will become the exclusive battery cell supplier for Hyundai Group electric cars – specifically for the first model based on the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), which is to roll off the assembly line from 2021.

German and European car manufacturers are currently fully committed to the battery and still very hesitant regarding the fuel cell. Toyota is doing it the other way around. Hyundai wants to develop both technologies in parallel. A closer look at what the Koreans have in mind.

By the year 2030, every third new car in South Korea is to be battery-powered or running on hydrogen. The government has now officially issued this target. Politicians also believe that companies must facilitate this too.

With Hyundai-Kia, Ionity has a new partner. The Korean carmaker has just become a strategic partner and shareholder in the European high-power charging network founded by BMW, Ford, Daimler and Volkswagen.

Kia wants to achieve the European CO2 emission targets with a strategy focusing on battery-electric cars. In an interview Emilio Herrera, Chief Operating Officer of Kia Europe, gave interesting insights into the plan, including “emergency” options.

Audi wants to intensify the development of fuel cell cars, despite the mother group’s focus on battery electric mobility. Audi boss Bram Schot said: “We really want to accelerate it. We will give more priority to hydrogen fuel cells – more money, more capacity and more confidence.”

Car manufacturers plan to invest more than 300 billion dollars in electric mobility over the next five to ten years. This is the result of a Reuters analysis based on public company data. China accounts for around 45 percent of investment plans.

The Hyundai Motor Group has presented the roadmap for its “FCEV Vision 2030”. And the roadmap is ambitious: Hyundai and Kia plan to increase their annual production capacity for fuel cell systems from what is currently 3,000 units, up to a whopping 700,000 units by 2030.

Korean carmaker Kia has released a series of images to tease the world debut of the all-electric Niro EV. The revelation is set for this Tuesday, January, 9. Kia thus completes the Niro series that also includes a hybrid as well as plug-in hybrid variant.

Geely, Volvo and Lynk&Co are about to establish a standalone EV technology JV in order to mutually benefit from synergies and economies of scale. In a MoU, all three agreed to share vehicle architecture and engines via cross licensing arrangements of technologies managed by the joint venture. Its headquarter will be in China with a subsidiary set in Swedish Gothenburg. Also, Volvo is about to take a significant minority stake in Lynk & Co given that they will share technology anyway.
electriccarsreport.com, volvocars.com

Schaeffler restructures its business as well to accommodate for what it calls “key opportunities for the future.” Electric mobility is to play a crucial role and will form its own division within automotive. Apart from concentrating all hybrid and electric vehicle activities in one unit beginning by 2018, Schaeffler also plans to set up a competence centre for all things electric in China. Meanwhile, the supplier has received eight series contracts for electric axles and hybrid modules from different clients worldwide. Automotive CEO Matthias Zink believes, “the sales potential of these contracts amounts to over one billion euros.”
schaeffler.de

Hyundai-Kia to double EV production: Once the all-electric variants of both the Hyundai Kona and Kia Niro will go on sale early next year, the Korean alliance hopes to double its EV sales. In numbers that means 13,000 E-Kona and 12,000 E-Niro a year.
businesskorea.co.kr

Battery upgrade for BMW i3? 120 Ah has been named as the next threshold by the BMW blog just a year after the carmaker introduced its i3 with a 94 Ah power pack. The new cells with 120 Ah could enter the electric line-up from 2018 and are said to increase the range by another 60 percent. It is currently about 200 km in real life.
bmwblog.com

One pedal for all: Nissan continues the tease for the next-gen Leaf with yet another feature that takes electric driving most seriously. The e-Pedal essentially does away with the clutch and brake as it enables full control over stop and go and fast and slow. Nissan claims that its release would bring the Leaf to a halt even on steep hills and that it will be enough to tap the lever again to reengage the electric drive. Those however that prefer to trust their long trained two-pedal instinct have the option to switch the e-Pedal off entirely, meaning there is a brake installed still.
youtube.com, autoblog.com, electrek.co

Fisker battery details: The luxury brand disappointed when it cancelled the expected graphen-based battery for now. Instead, Fisker opted for Li-ion batteries and claims a range of 640 km. The cylindrical cells stem from LG Chem (21700) and work with NCM chemistry. Tesla’s Model 3 uses the same format.
insideevs.com, electrek.co

Fight over hybrid tech over: Hyundai-Kia agreed to pay Paice royalties to end a law suit over patent infringements regarding hybrid engines. The Koreans were previously ordered to pay 28.9m dollars due to the infringement (we reported). Both Toyota and Ford already license the same technology.
bloomberg.com, greencarcongress.com

Hoverboard hazard: Amazon is questioning makers and sellers of self-balancing boards about safety standards, after series of fires caused by faulty batteries made headlines in the United States. Some listings were taken down, while a number of airlines refuse to take the hoverboards on board.
theverge.com

Android e-car? Samsung entertains automotive ambitions and says its focus is on autonomous driving components. The electronics company is already working with VW. If it will join Google and Apple in their electric car plans has yet to be confirmed but does not seem too far fetched.
bloomberg.com, computerworld.com

Hybrid road paver: TU Cologne is working on making road finishers more sustainable. Its diesel-electric concept road paver is said to use 60 percent less fuel compared to a diesel-hydraulic machine. It is using a synchronous generator to transform the diesel engines energy.
idw-online.de (in German)

Mirai offspring on the way? The Toyota Mirai could be just the start of a whole fuel cell vehicle family, according to chief engineer Yoshikazu Tanaka. Autocar reports there are already plans for estate, hatchback, MPV and SUV models with Mirai technology in Toyota’s drawer. In the U.S., Toyota already received some 1,900 order requests for the Mirai within only two months after its launch.
autocar.co.uk (FCV family), leftlanenews.com (order requests)

Tesla Q3 outlook: Tesla has delivered 11,580 vehicles in the third quarter of 2015, including the first Model X handovers. That’s around the same number as that of the second quarter, but 49 percent up from the same period last year. Meanwhile, U.S. customers can now upgrade their Model S for 7,500 dollars from “Insane” to “Ludicrous” mode for an even speedier acceleration.
forbes.com, teslamotors.com (deliveries), insideevs.com (upgrade)

BYD’s big investment plans: The Chinese car and battery manufacturer is planning to generate 15 billion Yuan (2.36 billion dollars) through the issue of new shares. The raised capital is set to be used, among other things, for the production of improved batteries and the development of electrified cars.
wantchinatimes.com

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Hybrid patent trial: Hyundai and Kia lost a patent trial and were ordered to pay 28.9 million dollars. A U.S. federal jury found the carmakers guilty of using hybrid engine technology patented by Paice LLC in their vehicles. The Korean companies pledged to appeal.
bloomberg.com, autoblog.com, yonhapnews.co.kr

Orange expands: Orange EV, a U.S. manufacturer of commercial EVs, announced it will move to a larger facility and hire more staff due to high demand. Moreover, the Missouri Technology Corporation is investing 150,000 dollars in Orange EV.
truckinginfo.com

New Volt drive review: Sebastian Blanco tested the new Chevy Volt and calls it a “no-compromise EV”. The plug-in hybrid will become available in eleven U.S. states this autumn and starts at 33,995 dollars. It now seats five instead of four passengers and is more fuel efficient.
autoblog.com