Posts Tagged ‘hyundai motor group’
Kia and Hyundai Shift All Focus to EV Development
Wednesday, January 12th, 2022
Kia Corp and the Hyundai Motor Group as a whole (the Group) are one of the most forward-thinking automotive groups out there. Kia has been working on hybrid cars, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), electric vehicles (EVs) – also known as battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) – and even hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. With the majority of the industry moving towards EVs, competition is going to get even fiercer, and that means those already up ahead in the race need a little boost to stay ahead. A staff email leaked to South Korean newspapers tells us that the Group is taking the competition seriously and is shifting all of its focus onto electric power.
The last model only equipped with an internal combustion engine is the 2022 Kia Carnival MPV. Powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine, capable of generating 290 horsepower, this may be more or less a minivan, but the 2022 Kia Carnival can accelerate from 0-60 mph in seven seconds. A step towards a life of luxury on the road, this MPV can seat up to 8 passengers comfortably, and even comes with a VIP lounge seating setting for full reclining seats, raised power footrests, comfy headrests, and a customizable leather seat trim. Two dual 12.3-inch displays stretch across the dashboard can provide the driver with information and access to entertainment options. There is also a rear-seat entertainment system that comes with a 12-speaker Bose stereo. Another luxury SUV, the Kia Carens, was teased, but that’s it.
(more…)Hyundai Motor Group and Kia Present Future of PBVs
Thursday, January 6th, 2022
Every year, auto shows happen all-year-long, and we’re always looking forward to what automakers are willing to show off. In a world of electric vehicles (EVs) and battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), connected features, and eventually smart cars like smart phones, the next big thing seems to be creating a mobile ecosystem. Cars are no longer just machines to get us from point A to B – just about every automaker at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show talked about transforming a vehicle into a digital or physical living space. Last year, the Hyundai Motor Group (the Group) and Kia Corp discussed a new airtaxi service and urban air mobility, amongst other things. Now, the Group has revealed how it will help Kia meet the second path of its S Plan Strategy – Purpose-built vehicles. More than that, the Group presented a “metaverse” that will go far beyond the world of automobiles.
Purpose-built vehicles, also known as PBVs, are vehicles built with a singular purpose. This definition is too simplified though. During the presentation by Hyundai and others at the 2022 CES, clips of a certain PBV were presented and gave a much clearer picture of what the Group and Kia has in mind. This idea became even more apparent during the first COVID-19 outbreak. When someone needs medical aid, if not brought to a hospital themselves, they need to be transported via an ambulance, but in the worst-case scenario, ambulances are just something to keep people alive between the origin point and the destination point.
What if instead of an ambulance, we have an entire hospital on wheels? That’s what we saw in the various clips, a miniature hospital with all the necessary machines and equipment a doctor would need to treat a patient in transit. Think of all the people that could have been saved if they could get life-saving surgery on the way to the hospital.
That was just one of the many examples Hyundai showed us. An ecosystem of mobility, a personal mobile pod that could fit within most doorways was also shown. Empowering those that may have trouble with mobility (elderly or the handicapped), these pods could autonomously navigate their way to their home, pick them up, and bring them to their next destination. Moreover, for long travel, these pods will connect with a shuttle where the pods are placed in a larger capsule while on the way to their destination.
These next few are going to sound futuristic. Some of you may know of Boston Dynamics and the works they do with robotics. Their most well-known robot is Spot, the robot dog that is able to perform multiple operations, from navigating various terrain to keeping people company. Yes, this is the next step. One of the other things the Group is working on is making robot companions that can connect with people, maybe not on an entirely personal level, but I’m imagining the helpful robot arm from Tony Stark’s lab, maybe even H.E.L.P.eR. from The Venture Brothers on a less lethal scale. Regardless, robots that can help people connect with the world around them is a growing industry, with even exoskeletons and wearable robots that can help people move, operate heavy machinery, perform repetitive motions or lift heavy objects with ease due to the hydraulics in the robot suit or vest.
Lastly, the “Metaverse”. Hyundai and Kia are working on making more than just virtual reality a thing. Imagine an engineer who needs to go onsite to fix a problem, but is currently on the other side of the world. So, this engineer logs onto a computer and enters a virtual reality model of the building and machinery. On-site, in the real world, a robot being controlled and navigated by the engineer is then brought to the machinery and performs the repairs. This is just one example.
Another example of the “Metaverse” is a lot like Regal 4DX or the Spiderman ride at Universal Studios. Consumers can go into PBVs, enter the “Metaverse”, pick an avatar to represent them, and then travel virtually anywhere, as long as there is a robot to connect to. Whatever the robot experiences, its sensors will relay that data to the PBV. Is it windy? You feel the wind. Want to explore the canyons of Mars? Go for it.Now that’s an interesting future. Want to learn more? Follow us on Miami Lakes Kia social media.
Photo Source/Copyright: YouTube/Hyundai Motor Group
Kia and Hyundai Form New Urban Air Mobility Company – Supernal
Wednesday, November 10th, 2021
Since the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show, Kia Corp (part of the Hyundai Motor Group/HMG) has been on a venture with Uber for a new type of ride-hailing – aircrafts. Sounds crazy – letting a complete stranger fly us from one place to the other, but is it any different than flying in a commercial aircraft or just about any plane on the tarmac? That’s really the main difference, and until cars can fly, a random stranger isn’t going to land on the highway and ask for your name, ready to fly off again. As Kia and Hyundai continue to create new partnerships for the air taxi, it seems like this baby is going to take off soon – pun intended. With that in mind, the Hyundai Motor Group (the Group) announced the start of a new company called Supernal, LLC that will be used as the forefront to focus on future mobility solutions, starting with its Urban Air Mobility Division.
As the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry starts to emerge, electric vehicles are still fighting for popularity among the public, and fully autonomous vehicles are still far away. The Group isn’t crazy, we won’t see any real air travel for several years. At the moment, the Group plans to launch its first commercial flight in 2028. It’s the hope that after two years of operations, the public will become more familiar with these urban aircrafts. How long did it take for people to regularly use Uber and Lyft versus a taxi or bus? The two are very different beasts, but already at work, Supernal’s first air vehicle will be electric-powered, autonomous (we already have autopilot), and the ability to seat four to five passengers on initial urban and urban-adjacent routes.
“We’re developing a commercially viable Advanced Air Mobility product from the start, designing and manufacturing our vehicle to the highest safety, noise, efficiency, and affordability standards…Our growing team, which includes veterans of aerospace, automotive, and other deep-tech industries, is engineering sustainable vehicles that have the potential to evolve how we live, work, and play.” – Ben Diachun, Chief Technology Officer, Supernal
The air taxi is basically a culmination of everything the Group has worked on thus far – artificial intelligence, autonomous control, and electric powertrains – all in the name of creating an ecosystem of mobility. Since the unveiling of the first air taxi in 2020, the Group has been entering into many agreements with aerospace companies, like ANRA Technologies, a company already working on the safe and efficient integration of advanced air mobility (AAM) into existing airspace. Last year, the Group entered into another partnership with the City of Los Angeles and Urban Movement Labs to develop a public engagement roadmap and policy toolkit that other cities can use when managing their AAM efforts.
Right now, Supernal is collaborating with stakeholders to explore concepts on how to get this done. It will take physical infrastructure like tarmacs, landing pads, and runways for personal and/or commercial use. Digital infrastructures may also be used for managing the airways. Could we finally see aerospace highways like sci-fi movies always promise? Keep up with all the updates on the air taxi by Kia and Hyundai when you follow us on Miami Lakes Automall social media.
Photo Source/Copyright: Kia News
Kia and HMG Set to Release PBVs in 2022
Wednesday, November 10th, 2021
Purpose-built vehicles, also known as PBVs for short, are slowly becoming the new talk of the auto industry, and will soon hit the auto market where the consumer can get behind the wheel of one. What is a PBV? At its core, a PBV is still an automobile, like any other. Today, most automobiles are designed to offer certain features or a multitude of choices – but what if we made an automobile with one sole “purpose” in mind, and designed and engineered the vehicle around that concept? During the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show, Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) and Kia Corp presented a video demonstrating the variety of PBVs that may one day populate roadways or even cities. Like many other names in the industry, the first PBV to test is a robotaxi.
Just so everyone can catch up on the future that is being promised. That video is surely wonderful, but we won’t be seeing any hubs like that for some time. The aircraft, an air taxi if you will, seen in the video is currently the major focus by HMG and Kia, in conjunction with Uber. During the summer, the groups strengthened their partnership by adding ANRA Technologies to the group. ANRA Technologies will help Kia, HMG, and Uber with advanced air mobility (AAM) solutions and management, to start, along with several other services for the backend of things.
The PBVs in the video were those pill-looking vehicles on the road. They sometimes connected with hubs where people could lounge around while in wait or grab a drink. Some PBVs were automated, one made for shopping and delivery. About 50 seconds in, we can see a guy working out in a mobile gym – man, does that make the work – gym – home commute easier or what? Again, we might not see these for a while, but HMG and Kia will be launching their first PBV model, PBV 01, in 2022. For now, the auto group just wants to test a taxi-only model. It sounds silly, but this is the simplest a car can get – so how will HMG and Kia improve on this while competing with ride-hailing services, where someone can get a real car to take them from point A to B?
Alongside PBV 01, two retail models are also in the works. One is an urban mobility concept, a two-seater electric vehicle called “M.Vision Pop” as a code for now. Slated as a commercial model within the next five years, this model will probably piggyback on the PBV 01 after learning how consumers interact with, and what features they mainly seek, in a limited automobile so that the Pop model can meet those needs. The second model, a self-driving, fully autonomous vehicle called “M.Vision X” is also in development and will be released alongside a lineup with full autonomous driving technology available.
This will surely bring a lot of competition out of the woodwork. The PBV market is fresh and growing, and with the “Plan S” Strategy by Kia Corp, we can expect many PBV models within the next decade. Follow along with us on all PBV and Kia news when you follow us on Miami Lakes Kia social media.
Photo Source/Copyright: Kia
Kia and Hyundai Secure New Plant for BEV Cell Production
Thursday, September 23rd, 2021
The spotlight has been on the new all-electric vehicle from Kia Corp, the Kia EV6. With a showcase during the Emmy Awards over the weekend and “America’s Got Talent”, there is certainly a lot to look forward to. A first for the automaker, the EV6 is the first all-electric vehicle with no predecessor. With that came not only its own powertrain but also its own platform, the new E-GMP platform built in 2020. Recently receiving the ‘Carbon Measured’ from Carbon Trust, a certification that the EV6 is eco-friendly. With so many vehicles in the lineup, how will Kia factor in the production needed for battery-electric vehicle (BEV) battery cells? Don’t worry, it’s all going to plan – the Plan S Strategy.
In early January 2020, Kia Corp was still Kia Motors, and came out with big cojones. The Plan S Strategy is the business plan Kia Corp will be using to dominate the electric vehicle (EV) market, owning a 6.6-percent global market share of all EVs sold. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but currently, there are more than 200 models available in various parts of the world. Multiply that by one million, and 6.6-percent is suddenly a lot more powerful. If all goes well, this could soon become a reality.
(more…)Kia Corp and Hyundai Motor Find New Ways to Store Energy
Friday, September 17th, 2021
Here’s an interesting story. With all of the automotive technology and startups in the world, there is a lot of potential for electric vehicles and even self-driving vehicles in the very near future. Some automakers, Kia Corp and Hyundai Motor and Co included (the Group) have been pushing the envelope to go a step further for some time now with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Now, the Group is working on clean, free energy. Or at least, that’s how it seems. The below project sounds very reminiscent of a certain clean energy project pulled off by a certain Japanese automaker, Hitachi Europe LTD, and ENGIE, the largest natural gas distribution network in Europe. There’s nothing like some healthy competition.
Like the aforementioned project, this takes three players – OCI Solar Power, one of the largest utility-scale solar energy developers in Texas; CPS Energy, the nation’s largest municipally-owned, fully-integrated electric and natural gas utility; and the Hyundai Motor Group, a South Korean multinational automotive group that consists primarily of the Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation. The three parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the intent to use recycled electric vehicle (EV) batteries and use them as devices for energy storage. Yep, very familiar.
(more…)Kia and Hyundai Introduce Hydrogen Vision 2040
Thursday, September 9th, 2021
It wasn’t too long ago that Kia Corp and the Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) entered into an agreement with the Next Hydrogen Corporation to work towards the development of a new “Electrolyzer Stack” to design and produce a new hydrogen fuel cell for future Kia and Hyundai vehicles, as well as other machines. At the Hydrogen Wave global online forum held on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, the Hyundai Motor Group announced its plans to popularize hydrogen by 2040, a business strategy called “Hydrogen Vision 2040”. The goal is simple – Hydrogen energy available to ‘Everyone, Everything and Everywhere’.
“Hyundai Motor Group’s vision is to apply hydrogen energy in all areas of life and industry such as our homes, work-places and factories. The goal is to make hydrogen readily used for everyone, everything, and everywhere…We want to offer practical solutions for the sustainable development of humanity and with these breakthroughs, we aim to help foster a worldwide Hydrogen Society by 2040.” – Chairman Chung at the Hydrogen Wave online global forum
(more…)Kia and Hyundai Hit 200,000 EV Sales Milestone in Europe
Thursday, July 22nd, 2021
Kia Corp has gone through a number of changes over the last few years – making the swept-back roof a cornerstone of vehicle design, a new Kia logo, and changing from Kia Motors to Kia Corp – the automaker shows no signs of slowing down as it continues to work towards its next goal of an all-electric vehicle lineup. It’s all a part of the Kia Plan S Strategy to dominate the electric vehicle (EV) market by 2025. As popularity for Kia and EVs grow, parent company Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp will hit new milestones. 2021 already marks one milestone, with a sale of over 200,000 EV units to date.
Hyundai and Kia have been selling electric vehicles since 2014, and the two have rarely ever experienced a slow down or lack of interest. The two automakers topped 10,000 units in 2017 when combining their sales in Europe alone, and in 2021 have already gone far past 100,000 units. Since the release of EVs from Hyundai and Kia, both under Hyundai Motor Group, a combined 227,919 EVs have been sold in the European auto market. 96,200 units come from Kia Corp. Although we still have several months to go in 2021, Hyundai and Kia have sold 43,865 EVs as of May – that’s a 99.5-percent increase from 2020.
(more…)Kia and Hyundai Enter New Agreement with Next Hydrogen
Thursday, July 15th, 2021
Kia Corp and the Hyundai Motor Group have been very busy with their flying car hailing service. After the initial wave of the pandemic in 2020, Kia Corp and Hyundai started to focus on purpose-built vehicles (PBVs). The other plan was to focus more on electric vehicles (EVs), and although Kia keeps releasing new EVs, like the Kia EV6 and upcoming Kia EV8.We haven’t heard much about PBVs but the two groups have been working on one other plan in the making – a fleet of aircrafts people can hail versus a car. Last month, June 2021, Kia and Hyundai went into an agreement with ANRA Technologies, a company focused on airspace solutions. Now to keep moving forward, Hyundai, Kia, and Next Hydrogen for multiple hydrogen fuel cell solutions, including urban air mobility (UAM).
“Next Hydrogen’s innovative water electrolysis stack design technology is an ideal solution for enabling the economical production of green hydrogen…We are extremely appreciative of the opportunity to work with Kia and Hyundai Motor, given their industry leadership as champions of this technology. This partnership is expected to accelerate efforts to address the incredible emerging opportunities in sustainable transportation globally.” – Raveel Afzaal, President and CEO of Next Hydrogen
The Next Hydrogen Corporation is a Canadian company specializing in water electrolysis technology, with efforts on working towards a global hydrogen society through cost-effective production of clean hydrogen. At the moment, producing hydrogen is expensive, and the three companies are working on a new stack for hydrogen production. It’s all in the name of HTWO, a new brand revealed by the Hyundai Motor Group. This group is designed to be the world-leading hydrogen fuel cell system. With the help of Next Hydrogen, the goal is to develop the next-generation hydrogen fuel cell system that will be able to power various forms of mobility – automobiles, vessels, trains, and beyond.
So, what is a “stack”? The term has popped up quite a bit so far. When it comes to producing hydrogen, many companies use what is called an “Electrolyzer Stack”. The simplest way to get a hold of hydrogen is through a method known as “electrolysis”, which as the name implies, makes use of electricity. With the help of an electrolyzer, companies can produce hydrogen and oxygen from regular good ol’ water by applying an electrical current to the fluid. The electrolyzer makes use of this electrochemical reaction to separate the oxygen and hydrogen molecules to deconstruct water. We’re then left with two gases, one of which is already used in internal gas combustion engines – oxygen. The hydrogen can then be utilized to power an entire fuel cell stack – kind of like how electricity powers a battery cell. See where this is going?
With the current semiconductor chip shortage, producing electric vehicles is starting to hit a tipping point. Until things get back to normal, which may never be the case, automakers are looking into other avenues to keep afloat and produce green vehicles. The process sounds simple, but if it was, everyone would have a hydrogen-powered car by now. That’s why Kia, Hyundai Motor, and Next Hydrogen are working towards the next new hydrogen fuel cell stack.Want to stay on top of news from Kia and Hyundai Motor? Follow us on Miami Lakes Automall Kia social media.
Photo Source/Copyright: Unsplash/Terry Vlisidis
An In-Depth Look at the New E-GMP Platform
Monday, December 28th, 2020
We’re finally in the final days of 2020, and everyone is hoping for a HappIER New Year for 2021. This just wasn’t the year we were expecting. There are some interesting things happening in the automotive world amidst all the madness. In early December, Hyundai Motor Group (HMG), also known as The Group, also known as the automotive group that Kia Motors belongs to, HMG unveiled its new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), a dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) platform for future vehicles. Building a fully-dedicated system for upcoming and new electric vehicles is not only a step in the right direction for streamlining electric vehicle (EV) production, but also opens up a whole new lineup of EVs. After all, why invest in a BEV platform if there are no plans to use it?
“Today our front-wheel driven Hyundai and Kia BEVs are already among the most efficient ones in their segments…With our rear-wheel driven based E-GMP, we are extending our technological leadership into segments where customers demand excellent driving dynamics and outstanding efficiency.” – Albert Biermann, President and Head of R&D Division for Hyundai Motor Group
Standardization is a Key Strategy
As we mentioned, having a dedicated BEV platform allows for quicker production of BEVs and EVs going forward. With the E-GMP, The Group suspects that the platform will be flexible enough for sedans, SUVs and even crossovers, with a high-performance model able to accelerate from 0-60 mph under 3.5 seconds, with a top speed of 160 mph. Now that is some powerful stuff for an electric vehicle.
