In recent times, Hyundai Motor Group has heightened its EV initiatives significantly. Within the Hyundai Brand alone, the manufacturer currently offers four hybrid models, two plug-in hybrids, and three EVs. Hyundai and Kia (the former owns around 33% stake in Kia) are best known for being the only automakers currently offering 800V battery tech in relatively affordable products.
While Hyundai's products excel in certain areas, the firm wants to increase its efforts in technology. Fortunately for HMG, its home in South Korea harbors some of the world's most highly innovative tech brands. Recently, Hyundai partnered with three of these companies: SK, LG, and Samsung.
Hyundai's partnership with SK is primarily based on its batteries, which will reside in the platforms of both Hyundai and Kia EVs. Hyundai chose LG on the grounds of supplying OLED display panels for its instrument clusters, likely producing clearer and crisper visualizations for drivers. Interestingly, one of LG's ventures, LG Chem, supplies battery packs for vehicles like the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, Chevrolet Bolt, Cadillac Lyriq, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and even the Porsche Taycan.
The most notable of these ventures is Hyundai and Samsung. With this alliance, Samsung will provide semiconductors for Hyundai and Kia products. Before this agreement, the Korean Harold reported that Hyundai used Qualcomm, Nvidia, and Infineon Technologies for its vehicle chips. By 2025, Hyundai Motor Group will utilize Samsung's latest Exynos Auto V920 chips to power the vehicle infotainment systems.
The Exynos Auto V920 chips are built on an octa-core Cortex-A76 CPU, supporting up to six displays and monitoring twelve exterior cameras simultaneously. For drivers, this results in smoother performance and even allows for in-infotainment gaming.
But the primary focus of this partnership revolves around ADAS features. Quoted by The Korean Harold (KH), Chung Euisun, Hyundai Motor Group's executive chair, said, "Self-driving cars need around 2,000 chips, compared to some 200 to 300 chips for regular cars."
Hyundai can better solidify its EV production efforts without needing to rely on international suppliers for EV tech. Preparing for the launch of several new EVs in the coming years, these partnerships will likely expedite production and delivery times.
