Hyundai Motor: "Electric Vehicle Fire Issues, Growing Pains Toward the Era of Popularization"

Casper EV Media Test Drive Pre-Briefing
Kim Dong-geon, Head of Battery Cell Development at Hyundai Motor
"Electrification Trend is Unchanging... Lithium-ion Dominance Continues"
"Casper EV, a Collection of Hyundai Motor's Battery Expertise"

"I believe the electric vehicle fire issue is a kind of growing pain (towards the era of electric vehicle popularization). Only companies that endure and overcome these growing pains quickly can secure the 'number one competitiveness' in the electrification era."

Kim Dong-geon, Head of Battery Cell Development at Hyundai Motor Company and Kia, made this assessment of the 'electric vehicle chasm' at the Casper Electric (EV) media test drive event held on the 20th at Hyundai Motorstudio in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Kim is a key practitioner responsible for battery cell development in the R&D headquarters. It is unusual for a battery development executive to directly attend a Hyundai EV test drive event and provide a preliminary explanation. This is interpreted as an intention to actively promote the company's battery safety and technological capabilities amid growing consumer concerns following the Incheon electric vehicle fire incident.

Kim Dong-geon, Head of Battery Cell Development at Hyundai Motor Company and Kia, is explaining the battery installed in the Casper EV at the Casper EV media test drive event held on the 20th.
[Photo by Hyundai Motor Company]

Despite the recurring electric vehicle fire issues, Kim diagnosed that there is no change in the global mobility transformation trend toward electrification. He said, "In the past, mobile phones also had continuous fire issues, but that did not cause a return to the era of landline phones," adding, "In the future mobility era, lithium-ion batteries will continue to maintain competitiveness and be widely used."

Kim emphasized that Hyundai Motor Company is the manufacturer that first applied and has long experience with lithium-ion battery systems. Hyundai introduced the world's first lithium-ion battery system in the 2009 Avante Hybrid mass-produced car. Although Nissan introduced the first lithium-ion electric vehicle in 1996, it was not a mass-produced car. Toyota, a competitor, equipped the Prius with a nickel-metal hydride battery, not lithium-ion. Hyundai and LG Chem (now LG Energy Solution) succeeded in domesticating a lithium-ion battery system that improved performance by 60% compared to Toyota's nickel-metal hydride battery system at that time.

The battery development cooperation between the two companies, which started with the Avante Hybrid, continued through the Kona EV and now the Casper EV. In 2019, they faced a recall situation due to the Kona EV fire incident. The experience and accumulated data from that time enabled them to secure proactive response capabilities in battery safety diagnosis technology. Kim said, "We experienced growing pains faster than other manufacturers," adding, "There were many lessons from the past Kona EV case, and through fundamental process improvements and quality cultivation with LG Energy Solution, we were able to produce the Casper EV battery."

Casper Electric [Photo by Hyundai Motor Company]

The battery installed in the Casper EV is produced at a joint venture factory established by Hyundai Motor Company and LG Energy Solution in Indonesia. It is a 49 kWh capacity NCM (Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese) battery. With a 30-minute rapid charge, it can run 315 km. The rapid charging time was reduced by more than 9 minutes compared to existing small electric vehicles by improving battery cell performance and cooling systems. Kim said, "Considering that typical drivers start charging when the battery level is around 35%, the actual charging time can be comfortably used within the 20-minute range."

The Casper EV is equipped with all of Hyundai's advanced BMS (Battery Management System) technologies, including ▲battery monitoring during parking ▲precise diagnosis of internal cell short circuits ▲micro voltage anomaly diagnosis of the battery. When the BMS detects an anomaly, it either resolves it through its own voltage adjustment or notifies the driver directly via text message if repair is needed.

Kim said, "The BMS meticulously monitors voltage changes and slope rates of battery cells to detect momentary micro short circuits," adding, "Based on a physical model, it also judges whether the micro short circuit continues to grow or disappears shortly and automatically collects the result data at the remote support center."

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