Hyundai Wia starts to produce coolant hub module

Hyundai Wia Corp., an auto parts unit of Hyundai Motor Group, is making a full-scale entry into the market for electric vehicle thermal management systems.

Hyundai Wia announced on Tuesday that it has completed the development of the "coolant hub module," one of the thermal management systems for electric vehicles (EV), and has commenced production.

The production of this module will take place at Hyundai Wia's Changwon Plant 1 in Gyeongnam, with an annual capacity of up to 210,000 units. This marks the first time a domestic automotive parts company has produced a coolant hub module.

The coolant hub module will be installed in Kia Corp.'s The Kia EV9 and Hyundai Motor Co.'s The All New Kona Electric, among other models.

The coolant hub module, developed by Hyundai Wia, is a component that efficiently manages the heat of the battery, drive system and other components of electric vehicles.

The module features functional integration of separate devices responsible for drive components and battery cooling, significantly improving efficiency.

Hyundai Wia has integrated functions such as a reservoir tank for coolant replenishment, an electric water pump and valves.

This allows for optimal temperature maintenance of the battery while effectively managing the heat generated by drive components such as the motor and inverter.

Based on the mass production of the coolant hub module, Hyundai Wia plans to develop an "Integrated Thermal Management System" that encompasses motors, batteries and even cabin air conditioning by 2025.

To achieve this goal, the company is building a thermal management test facility in Uiwang City, Gyeonggi Province, with a target completion date of June 2023.

"Based on continuous research and development, we aim to become a company with global competitiveness in the future mobility market," a Hyundai Wia official said.

Write to Nan-Sae Bin at binthere@hankyung.com