"Even Manufacturers Miss Electric Vehicle Faults: Inside Jeju Diagnostic Center"

Korea Institute of Industrial Technology Electric Vehicle Diagnostic Technology Center
"Establishing an Integrated Platform for Electric Vehicle Maintenance and Repair"
Enhancing Diagnostic Technology Using Evaluation Equipment and Data
Improving Vehicle Fault Prediction and Parts Inventory Management Efficiency

Among the approximately 25 million registered vehicles in South Korea, pure electric vehicles account for about 400,000, which is still less than 2%. With the expansion of charging infrastructure and improvements in the vehicles' own marketability, the adoption rate is accelerating.

The problem is that neither users nor manufacturers fully understand the characteristics of electric vehicles yet. While conventional internal combustion engine vehicles have over 100 years of accumulated experience, making the range of potential issues during use somewhat predictable, electric vehicles are not yet at that stage. Rather than naturally growing through market expansion and technological development, the market has largely grown under the influence of environmental regulations and political pressures.

Electric vehicle driving simulation equipment at the Electric Vehicle Diagnostic Technology Center within the Jeju Headquarters of the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology. It has a maximum speed of 250 km/h and adjustable incline. It is used for electric vehicle energy consumption measurement, performance evaluation, fault type assessment, and more.

The Electric Vehicle Diagnostic Technology Center at the Jeju headquarters of the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, visited on the 3rd, is a result of these concerns. It began operations in 2021 to professionally examine electric vehicles, which still have many unknowns regarding what malfunctions occur and how to fix them, and to find solutions. Director Hong Young-seon said, "Electric vehicle manufacturers also collect vast amounts of data, but not with specific intentions or purposes," adding, "Our center focuses on extracting data specialized for diagnostics and maintenance, utilizing it as practical technology, and improving the overall vehicle maintenance process."

Although reduced compared to internal combustion engines, electric vehicles are still complex machines with around 10,000 parts. Various electronic devices and software are intertwined. The drive battery, considered a core component, is a chemical substance, making it difficult to fully control with management systems. No matter how carefully manufacturers monitor, unexpected issues, big or small, can arise during actual operation.

Hyundai Kona Electric lifted by a lift. Recently released dedicated electric vehicles often have battery packs designed underneath the vehicle.

Since February 2021, the Electric Vehicle Diagnostic Technology Center has established a real-time electric vehicle monitoring system, collecting all data related to vehicle malfunctions and maintenance from 100 vehicles (cumulative) driving on actual roads. They compare data from normal and malfunctioning vehicles and use artificial intelligence (AI) to detect abnormalities in key components.

Director Hong said, "By collecting data in real time from the user's perspective during electric vehicle operation, we can accurately understand the vehicle's condition, predict malfunctions in advance, and prepare parts likely to require maintenance," adding, "We also support small and medium-sized maintenance shops, which mainly handled internal combustion engine vehicles in the past, to be able to service electric vehicles."

A control system that collects real driving data from electric vehicles traveling around Jeju Island. It is possible to estimate the actual condition of the vehicle in motion by exchanging data in real time with equipment installed in the electric vehicles.

The center is equipped with 29 types of equipment to analyze the performance of electric vehicles and core components such as batteries and motors, including a real-time monitoring system, electric vehicle driving simulation equipment, and battery module and pack performance evaluation systems. Using this equipment, they build a database of lifecycle characteristics and malfunction data of vehicles and major electronic components, developing not only electric vehicle diagnostics but also fault prediction and Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) technologies.

Considering driving patterns, they predict potential malfunctions in advance and help proactively repair vehicles or enable frontline maintenance shops to prepare parts matching the malfunctioning areas beforehand, minimizing repair time.

Senior Researcher Kang Byung-soo of the Electric Vehicle Diagnostic Technology Center said, "When just one module of a battery pack ages, balancing is maintained but driving range can be reduced by about half," adding, "Even when vehicle performance declines, it can be difficult to recognize what the malfunction is, so we also assist in acquiring maintenance know-how at the frontline."

Test equipment for evaluating the performance of electric vehicle battery packs. It can determine changes in battery performance due to pressure or temperature variations.

The center expects to contribute to discovering new businesses related to electric vehicle maintenance and activating networks. If a maintenance platform encompassing malfunction databases and diagnostic technologies is established, there is potential for significant improvements not only for drivers, automakers, parts manufacturers, and maintenance companies but also for corporate electric vehicle management services such as taxis and rental cars.

Director Hong said, "Based on the lifecycle database secured by the center, we plan to proactively respond to changes in the future vehicle industry structure by expanding the scope to major components of hydrogen vehicles."

A researcher at the Electric Vehicle Diagnostic Technology Center is demonstrating the electric vehicle driving simulation equipment.

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