Hyundai Stops Internal Combustion Engine Development

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According to the Korea Economic Daily:

Hyundai Motor Group, South Korea’s top automaker, will stop developing new internal combustion engines in order to accelerate its transformation into an electric vehicle manufacturer.

Hyundai Motor Co., the group’s larger carmaker, closed its engine development division at its research and development center, according to industry sources on Dec. 23. The Namyang R&D Center in South Korea is the group’s brain with about 12,000 researchers.

“Now, it is inevitable to convert into electrification,” said the newly appointed R&D chief Park Chung-kook in an email to employees. “Our own engine development is a great achievement, but we must change the system to create future innovation based on the great asset from the past.”

The move came as the global automobile industry is moving towards EVs more rapidly than expected. An EV, which runs on an electric motor, does not need a powertrain, which includes an internal combustion engine and a transmission.

The engine development team was established in 1983 as the late Chung Ju-yung, Hyundai Group founder and grandfather of current Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun, ordered that the company make its own engine.



1 thought on “Hyundai Stops Internal Combustion Engine Development”

  1. Now comes more news from Korea via Chosun Biz that:

    Hyundai Motor Company has decided to suspend research on the Genesis hydrogen car, which it was developing with the goal of launching in 2025. It is known that the company’s core technology and marketability for hydrogen cars are not meeting expectations.

    According to industry sources on the 28th, Hyundai Motor Company temporarily suspended the development of 3rd-generation hydrogen fuel cells for use in Genesis hydrogen vehicles. Fuel cells are the heart of hydrogen vehicles and serve as engines in vehicles with internal combustion engines. When Hyundai Motor reorganized the hydrogen fuel cell organization last month, it already shared the details internally.

    Earlier in September, Hyundai Motor Company unveiled a third-generation fuel cell system under development. Compared to the second-generation fuel cell installed in Hyundai’s only hydrogen passenger car, the Nexo, the volume has been reduced by 30% and the output and durability have been strengthened by three times. It was also planned to reduce the production cost by more than 50% by 2025.

    However, due to technical problems and lack of marketability such as high unit price, the development of the 3rd generation fuel cell was suspended for the time being. It is unclear when development will resume.

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