Visiting Jeju International Electric Vehicle Expo... Unique e-Mobility Attractions Everywhere

Hyundai Motor Company Also Operates Nexo-Ioniq 5 Test Drive Program

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Jeju = Reporter Yoo Je-hoon] The 8th International Electric Vehicle Expo, aiming to be the Davos Forum of e-mobility, officially opened on the 7th. Although the exhibition venue was relatively quiet due to COVID-19 pandemic prevention measures, the competition among domestic and international e-mobility companies to discover new business opportunities was intense.

On the 7th and 8th, the Jeju International Convention Center (ICC Jeju) in Seogwipo City, Jeju Island, was visited consecutively. On floors 1 to 3, inside and outside the space where the 8th International Electric Vehicle Expo was held, a lineup of unique e-mobility vehicles rarely seen was exhibited.

The first thing that caught the eye at the outdoor exhibition on the 1st floor was the electric truck "Potro" developed by DPICO. Potro is a model designed and developed by DPICO and produced domestically, with a parts localization rate exceeding 80%. With a length of 3405 mm, width of 1435 mm, and height of 1860 mm (based on the pickup truck model), it seemed very suitable for transportation use in narrow city streets. The driving range on a full charge is 79.5 to 96.4 km.

The three-wheeled motorcycle model CARVER produced by DSEV attracted attention with its cute appearance. CARVER has a maximum driving range of 130 km per charge and a top speed of about 60 km/h, making it highly useful in tourist areas considering its sleek body. A short test ride actually felt as fun as riding a bumper car.

An official on site said, "CARVER is currently being exported to Europe and is scheduled to be sold domestically in November," adding, "Considering the electric vehicle purchase subsidy, the actual price is expected to be around 7 million KRW."

In the indoor exhibition hall on the 1st floor, electric vehicle battery companies also had booths besides electric vehicle models. This is because the expo covers the entire mobility ecosystem beyond just e-mobility. Samsung SDI exhibited its battery cells and a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) model BMW 745e equipped with 96 of these battery cells.

On the 3rd floor of the exhibition hall, an electric ship introduced by Electrin was displayed. This is the first time an electric propulsion ship has been exhibited at the Electric Vehicle Expo. Electrin’s electric ship system installs an electric propulsion system on a conventional ship, providing 115 horsepower and an 80 kW system that can operate at maximum speed for 30 minutes on a single full charge.

Hyundai Motor Company, the largest automaker in Korea, did not have a separate booth at this expo but operated a program allowing test drives of its first dedicated electric vehicle Ioniq 5 and hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCEV) Nexo. Under the guidance of a professional docent, participants could drive about 7.5 km near ICC. Although the test drive was short, about 10 to 20 minutes, it was sufficient time for drivers experiencing electric vehicles for the first time.

Meanwhile, the International Electric Vehicle Expo will continue until the 10th. Kim Dae-hwan, co-chairman of the International Electric Vehicle Expo organizing committee, said, "The core of this year’s expo is the shift to a business-to-business (B2B) event, which brought together about 10,000 industry professionals to conduct high-level business," adding, "This year, the on-site exhibition accounts for about 30% due to COVID-19, but from next year, we plan to increase this back to around 80%."

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