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.

At the CES this year, Hyundai and Uber have announced their cooperative effort to build air taxis to be used on the Uber platform Elevate. The two companies also presented the S-A1, a prototype for such an electrically powered vertical take-off aircraft.

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.

According to the study conducted by the Center of Automotive Management (CAM), when it comes to innovative strength, German carmakers maintain an international lead. Volkswagen is placed at the top of this ranking. This latest comparative study is the result of research among 38 car manufacturers.

The Hyundai Motor Company has presented its ‘Strategy 2025’ roadmap, in which the South Korean Group also sets its frameworks for electrification. By 2025, Hyundai intends to become one of the three largest EV manufacturers in the world with a multi-faceted approach.

Hyundai Motors has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Indonesian government to build a vehicle manufacturing plant in Kota Deltamas, east of Jakarta, where an “electric production line is also being explored.” The South Korean carmaking giant will invest 1.55 billion USD in the plant until 2030.

Hyundai presented its Lafesta EV for the Chinese market at the Guangzhou Motor Show. While their subsidiary Kia also presented an electric limousine with the K3 EV, which will also be offered with similar performance data as the Lafesta EV.

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.

Hyundai has established a new venture named MoceanLab to provide mobility services in LA. Starting with a pilot carsharing, Mocean Carshare will deploy up to 20 Hyundai Ioniq PHEVs across the city of angels still this year before adding pure electric vehicles to the fleet.

Hyundai Motor America plans to expand its range of electric and hybrid models from the current five to 13 by 2022. According to the Korean manufacturer’s American offshoot, the range will consist of six sedans and seven SUVs.

Hyundai has introduced the allegedly first rural electric car-sharing service in Spain under the VIVe label. The service starts with a Kona Electric and Ioniq Electric in Campisábalos in the province of Guadalajara.

Hyundai has made three strategic investments in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. Specifically, the Korean manufacturer is investing in Impact Coatings, H2Pro and GRZ Technologies.

Hyundai presented the concept of a heavy-duty fuel cell truck at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show. The futuristic HDC-6 Neptune aims to “start exploring opportunities in the United States commercial vehicle market”.

The Indian government has issued a contract for multiple electric vehicles, however instead of going for vehicles from their home market, such as Mahindra or Tata, the government decided to opt with Hyundai’s Kona, which costs about twice the amount as Indian competitors.

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.

After Hyundai has started developing its first model based on the dedicated Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) under the project name NE, further details are now becoming known.

Vitesco Technologies, the former Powertrain division of Continental, has announced the signing of an agreement to supply the first fully integrated drive system for several PSA and Hyundai mass production models.

Hyundai and Cummins intend to jointly develop and market electric drives for commercial vehicles. The aim is to combine Hyundai’s fuel cell systems with Cummins’ electric drive, battery and control technologies.

By 2025, Hyundai intends to bring a total of 1,600 fuel cell trucks onto the Swiss market and has just released details. The first 50 Hyundai H2 XCIENT will be delivered to Switzerland next year. 

Kia is considering a purely electric version for their city car Picanto. “There’s nothing confirmed yet, but we are really looking at it,” says Emilio Herrera, COO of Kia Motor Europe.

Hyundai Motorsport has presented its first electric racing car at the IAA. The all-electric Veloster N ETCR was specially developed for the new ETCR racing series, which will start in 2020. Hyundai also presented a concept to serve as a design template for future electric models.

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in is setting a good example by using a Hyundai Nexo as his official car. He will be demonstrating the technology for locals, doing marketing and addressing range anxiety in one.

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.

According to the latest CAM ‘Electromobility Report’, in which 212 series innovations in e-mobility have been evaluated by 30 car manufacturers over the past five years, German automobile manufacturers still have catching up to do.

Hyundai announced plans to develop a total of 17 electric commercial vehicles they want market-ready by 2025, by which time the South Korean manufacturer plans to have expanded its range of commercial vehicles to include seven battery-electric and ten fuel cell models.

The industrial gases group Linde has acquired a ten per cent stake in Hydrospider AG. Hydrospider specialises in generating “green” hydrogen by using power from a hydroelectricity station in Switzerland.

Hyundai has introduced the prototype of an advanced foldable electric kick scooter. Compared to the Ioniq scooter presented at CES 2017, Hyundai has switched from front-wheel to rear-wheel drive to increase safety and stability.

Hyundai is launching its second and third electric model on the Chinese market this year. The electric version of the Hyundai Encino (known outside China as the Kona) will be launched in October, before a battery-powered version of the Lafesta sedan, available exclusively in China, will follow in December.

Hyundai Motor UK has announced the pricing and specification changes for the new Ioniq range as well as the new Kona hybrids, which will be on sale from the 30th September.

Hyundai is ready to sign a deal with the Indonesian government to build an electric car plant in Karawang on the Indonesian island of Java. The Korean manufacturer will invest around one billion US dollars in the project.