From Electric Vehicles to UAM and Electric Ships... The 8th International Electric Vehicle Expo Opens

Jeju International Convention Center to Host Event from 7th to 10th... 200 Domestic and International Companies Participating

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Jeju=Reporter Yoo Je-hoon] The 8th International Electric Vehicle Expo (IEVE) officially opened on the 7th.

The International Electric Vehicle Expo Organizing Committee announced that the opening ceremony of the International Electric Vehicle Expo was held in the Halla Hall of Jeju International Convention Center (ICC Jeju) in Jeju in the afternoon, marking the official start of the four-day schedule. This year’s expo, marking its 8th edition, saw participation from over 200 domestic and international companies.

Kim Dae-hwan, co-chairman of the International Electric Vehicle Expo, said in his opening remarks, "Electric vehicles, which were born over 200 years ago, are now awakening from a long hibernation and beginning to write the history of popularization in earnest, but the market has not even opened 1% yet." He added, "Now, we must build a strong solidarity centered on green recovery by envisioning a world of renewable energy, carbon neutrality, and electric vehicles."

Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary-General, who gave a congratulatory speech, said, "The automobile industry is one of the industries most strongly impacted by climate change and carbon neutrality shocks," and added, "Our automobile industry must also thoroughly prepare to maintain its position as a global leader in the electric vehicle market and contribute to carbon neutrality."

At the opening ceremony, Shin Jae-won, head (president) of Hyundai Motor Company's Urban Air Mobility (UAM) division and a former NASA engineer, attracted attention. Hyundai Motor Group had previously proposed UAM as part of its future eco-friendly mobility business and announced plans to make it one of the group’s three major business pillars alongside automobiles and robotics.

President Shin said, "Since UAM is a market that 'does not exist,' no country or company holds vested rights, so Korea also has a good chance of success." He added, "However, since neither certification systems nor infrastructure exist, many industries must cooperate to open up the market."

At the ICC Jeju venue, various exhibition booths from domestic and international companies were set up. Although the proportion of virtual space exhibitions was high due to COVID-19, various electric vehicle-related products such as electric vehicles, batteries, charging systems, and electric propulsion ships attracted attention. Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, who recently became an 'electric vehicle owner' after receiving a Hyundai Ioniq 5, visited the expo site in the afternoon, toured the exhibition booths, and said, "We will do our best to resolve legislative deficiencies so that the political sector does not become an obstacle to expanding electric vehicle-related infrastructure."

Meanwhile, this International Electric Vehicle Expo consists of various programs including B2B business meetings, PR shows, exhibitions, conferences, and test drives. In the e-mobility sector, passenger cars, ultra-small vehicles, two- and three-wheelers, commercial vehicles, and agricultural machinery are showcased. In the battery and charging infrastructure sector, ESS, UPS, BMP, fast chargers, slow chargers, wireless chargers, and batteries are introduced.

Additionally, for the first time at this expo, a conference focused on electric ships will be held. The '1st International Electric Ship Forum,' scheduled for the 8th, will be attended by the Korea Maritime Institute, the Ship and Offshore Plant Research Institute, domestic company Electrin, and major shipbuilding companies to exchange information on technology trends in the eco-friendly ship industry and the status of technology development in the domestic related industry.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.