One after another electric car fire… Hyundai Motor Company, Kona battery replacement review

Input 2021.02.17 10:00

Following the Kona electric vehicle (EV), electric buses have also caught fire, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is planning to announce the results of the Kona EV battery-related investigation as early as this month. Hyundai Motor Company (005380)Is also reviewing ways to replace the entire battery of Kona EV.

According to the industry on the 17th, Hyundai Motor Company is actively considering ways to replace all of Kona EV’s battery cells, battery packs, and battery systems. The target vehicle is 77,000 Kona EVs manufactured from September 2017 to March last year, and the industry predicts that it will cost more than 1 trillion won. When the battery replacement proceeds, it is the largest among Hyundai Motor’s voluntary recalls.

Kona EV is Hyundai Motor’s classic electric vehicle model, with a total of 160,000 units sold at home and abroad. A total of 15 fires have occurred in Korea since the first fire was reported in May 2018. Accordingly, Hyundai Motor Company made a recall to update the BMS (battery management system) at the end of last year.

However, another fire broke out in the vehicle that was recalled in January. As a result of the subsequent fires at Kona EV, some Kona EV owners are conducting a class action lawsuit against Hyundai Motor for damages caused by the decline in vehicle value.

On the 15th, the Hyundai Electric Electric Bus vehicle that was driving in Yangsan, Gyeongnam was burned out and burned down. It is the first time that a fire occurred while driving, and it was confirmed that the battery of LG Energy Solutions was installed on the bus, like Kona.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Automobile Research Institute, which have been investigating the Kona EV battery fire since October last year, are planning to examine whether the electric bus fire is related to the Kona EV fire. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to announce the results of the Kona EV battery-related investigation as early as this month. According to the results of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport investigation, the cost of replacing the entire battery will be shared in consultation with LG Energy Solutions, a battery manufacturer.