Tag: electric cars

Samsung Announces It Will Not Enter the Electric Vehicle Market

This is probably a smart move with the amount of major car companies now offering electric vehicle options that is driving increased competition. If Samsung wanted to get into this market they should have done it at least a decade ago in order to already have captured market share like Tesla has done:

Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong attends the inauguration dinner of President Yoon Suk-yeol at a hotel in Seoul, May 10. AP-Yonhap

But at Samsung, still Apple’s top rival in the smartphone segment, its proven “go-to-market strategy” won’t be applied in the finished EV segment, as the Korean tech behemoth decided recently not to manufacture its own brand of EVs, as two senior executives, both of whom are directly involved in the issue, told The Korea Times. 

The core reasons behind this decision are that it doesn’t believe its entry into the finished EV segment will see sustainable profits, and it holds the intention to continue avoiding any possible conflicts with its top clients, amid the focus on its contract-based semiconductor foundry business, according to them.

“After thorough reviews, response and discussions with clients, top Samsung management reached a consensus that making a foray into the finished EV segment won’t be the right fit both in terms of a profit standpoint and from a client management perspective,” one of the sources said on condition of anonymity.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Army Says It Will Transition to Electric Vehicles by 2050

So who thinks this is actually going to happen?

A U.S. Army National Guardsman runs through floodwater from Hurricane Gustav on Sept. 1, 2008, in New Orleans, La. The levee along the Industrial Canal in the area was overtopped by floodwaters. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The U.S. Army plans to install a microgrid on all its installations by 2035, field fully electric tactical vehicles by 2050, and ensure all operational and strategic exercises and simulations consider climate change risks and threats by 2028.

These are just a few of the goals the service outlined in its new climate strategy, published Feb. 8.

“The climate strategy is important to address the changing climate and the threats that are coming from climate change — both how our forces operate in a climate-altered world, but what the Army can do to influence this and to mitigate our greenhouse gases and to reduce the effects of climate change,” Paul Farnan, the Army’s acting assistant secretary for installations, energy and environment, told Defense News in a Feb. 7 interview.

Army Times

You can read more at the link, but notice how these initiatives are always pushed out to some far off date like 2050.

Hyundai Announces Battery Replacement for Its Electric Vehicles Due to Fire Danger

Not a good look for Hyundai’s EV program:

Hyundai Motor’s Kona EV catches fire while charging its battery at a charging station in Namyangju, about 20 kilometers east of Seoul, on Oct. 17, 2020, in this photo provided by the Namyangju City Fire Station. 

Hyundai Motor Co. said Wednesday it will replace batteries in some 82,000 Kona EV and two other electric vehicles sold globally due to potential fire risks, which could cost about 1 trillion won (US$899.7 million). 

Hyundai will begin the replacement of the battery management system (BMS) in 75,680 Kona EVs, 5,716 IONIQ EV and 305 Elec City buses from March 29 in the domestic market and from April in overseas markets, the company said in a statement.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Hyundai and Apple Will Reportedly Team Up to Develop Self Driving Electric Car

There have been rumors about Apple wanting to get into the car business and are apparently close to a deal with Hyundai to do just that:

Hyundai Motor and Apple Inc plan to sign a partnership deal on autonomous electric cars by March and start production around 2024 in the United States, local newspaper Korea IT News reported on Sunday.

The report follows a statement on Friday from Hyundai Motor that it was in early talks with Apple after another local media outlet said the companies aimed to launch a self-driving electric car in 2027, sending Hyundai shares up nearly 20%.

Hyundai Motor declined to comment on the report on Sunday, and reiterated Friday’s comments that it has received requests for potential cooperation from various companies on developing autonomous EVs.

Reuters

You can read more at the link.

Chevy to Introduce Bolt EV Next Year In South Korea

I have always thought that South Korea is an ideal location for electric cars to be sold considering the short distances that are driven in the country:

GM Korea’s Chevrolet Bolt EV can travel 383 kilometers (239 miles) on one full charge, the longest distance among EV candidates that confirmed their debut in Korea next year. [GM KOREA]
GM Korea, poised to launch the fully electric car Chevrolet Bolt EV early next year in Korea, confirmed Tuesday with the Ministry of Environment that its vehicle can travel 383 kilometers (239 miles) per charge.

It can now drive the longest distance with one full charge among the vehicles set to debut next year.

“Bolt EV is able to travel from Seoul to Busan with one charge,” said James Kim, president and CEO of GM Korea. “It is going to change the paradigm of Korea’s EV market.”

The retail price has not been revealed. Its U.S. price is an estimated $37,500 before tax incentives. [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link.

Picture of the Day: South Korea Announces $180 Million Dollar Infrastructure Plan for Electric Vehicles

S. Korea makes big investment in EV charging infrastructure

Trade Minister Joo Hyung-hwan (7th from L) and other guests cut tape to mark the construction of the country’s first electric vehicle (EV) super-charging station at World Cup Stadium in Seoul on Aug. 2, 2016. The government announced a plan to invest 200 billion won (US$180.3 million) this year to develop the nation’s EV industry. Under the plan, 150 on-street charging station will be built across the nation by November, plus 30,000 regular chargers to be set up at apartment complexes nationwide. (Yonhap)