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Hold on to purchase electric vehicles due to’safety issues’… The younger the ↑
Recently, the industry’s concerns are deepening due to electric vehicle safety issues. This is because if consumer anxiety about electric vehicles remains, it could lead to poor sales.
On the 1st, the market research company Embrain Trend Monitor conducted a survey on the perception of’electric vehicles’ for 1,000 men and women aged 19 to 59 nationwide. It was found to be less than %. 36.3% of respondents said,’I will withhold the purchase of electric vehicles because of safety.’ By age, 41.2% of people in their 20s and 42.8% of their 30s regard safety issues as important, and it was analyzed that safety considerations were also taken by young people in their 40s (32.4%) and 50s (28.8%).
This change is thought to be due to the fact that recent consumers have been exposed to accidents related to electric vehicles a lot.
Tesla and Hyundai, the representative players in the electric car market, were not free from safety issues.
In December of last year, an accident occurred in Seoul in which a Tesla’Model X’caught fire and one person died. At the time, the’hidden door system’, which had a hidden handle, became a problem, and it was known that the car door did not open, and a safety issue ignited. Hyundai Motor’s’Kona EV’ also lost face in a series of fire accidents. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that some of the batteries in Kona EV manufactured and sold by Hyundai Motor Company have confirmed the possibility of a fire due to internal short circuit caused by cell manufacturing defects (folding the negative electrode). The battery is a high-voltage battery initially produced at LG Energy Solutions’ Nanjing Plant in China.
Hyundai Motor Company has decided to replace the entire high-voltage battery system for the vehicle.
Electric vehicle safety issues must be addressed
Experts pointed out that although electric vehicles do not have many accidents compared to internal combustion locomotives, consumers still have a lot of anxiety about leading to fire when pressure or shock is applied to lithium-type batteries.
In particular, about half of the young people, who will be the main pillars of the electric vehicle market, say that they are holding on to purchase electric vehicles because of safety issues.
To alleviate safety concerns, Hyundai Motor Company emphasized that safety was prioritized at the world’s first public event on the 23rd. Hyundai Motor Company delivered a message of apology for the Kona EV fire issue, and said it would try to solve a fundamental solution. “One of the most important things was to keep the battery to keep passengers safe,” said Hyundai Motor Company. “We conducted tests compared to internal combustion engine cars, and we tried to maintain the highest level of safety even globally.”
Other global companies have also announced blueprints that they plan to jump into electric vehicle production starting this year.
Mercedes-Benz also announced that it will introduce electrified models to all models by 2022. Volkswagen plans to introduce electric car models to all models by 2030. GM announced plans to stop producing internal combustion locomotives by 2035 and make only electric vehicles.
The industry emphasizes that the industry’s efforts and investments for safety are more necessary. As the government is expanding the introduction of eco-friendly vehicles such as electric vehicles, there are also concerns that if consumers have negative perceptions of electric vehicles, policies may be affected.
Pilsoo Kim, head of the Korea Electric Vehicle Association, said, “When a problem occurs, we need to positively change consumer perception by identifying the exact cause, correcting it properly, and compensating for it. “The publicity that electric vehicles can be used safely should be done.”