Hyundai Motor unveils new EV charging platform to take on Tesla

Hyundai Motor Co. on Monday unveiled a new electric vehicle charging service platform as the top South Korean automaker takes on global rival Tesla Inc. in the fast-growing EV market.

The E-pit charging service platform, or E-CSP in short, will help Hyundai Motor expand its charging system infrastructure across the country by allowing other EV charging service operators to use the system, it said.

Hyundai Motor said it will apply the platform to its own EV charging stations, dubbed E-pit, to upgrade services for customers of its electric cars, including the IONIQ 5 crossover and EV models produced by its sister firm Kia Corp.

In April of last year, Hyundai launched a high-speed electric car charging infrastructure at major points across Korea, including on highways.

The E-pit charging points, inspired by the pit stops of Formula One auto racing – a place for refueling, repairs and mechanical adjustments – offer EV drivers fast, easy and convenient services, according to Hyundai.

Any Hyundai car equipped with an 800-volt system is charged to 80% within 18 minutes at an E-pit charging station. Its ultra-fast charging capability will allow a Hyundai EV to run about 100 km on a five-minute charge, it said.

TO RIVAL TESLA

Hyundai said it will roll out more E-pit charging points to compete with rivals, including Tesla cars, which are rapidly gaining ground in the Korean market, particularly among young drivers.

The E-pit charging system, which won an award at the 2021 Red Dot Design Award in the product design category, boasts a faster charging speed than the Tesla Supercharger.

Hyundai said in February it is also rolling out a wireless charging system for its latest premium electric crossover, the GV60, amid intensifying competition among global automakers for plugless charges.

The company is launching a pilot wireless charging service at three wireless charging points in Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi Province for some of its Genesis cars, Hyundai’s standalone luxury brand.

The service will initially be available only for the GV60 equipped with a wireless charging system and expanded to include all the electric cars Hyundai will launch in the future.

‘BIGGEST TECHNICAL COUP’

Meanwhile, the New York Times recently touted Hyundai’s ultra-fast charging system as “the biggest technical coup, making Hyundai models serious road trippers.”

The NYT said Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 can stuff its battery from 10% to 80% full in just 18 minutes and a five-minute charge adds up to 68 miles.

The “secret source” is a robust 800-volt battery architecture, matching six-figure electric speedsters from Porsche and Audi, and doubling Tesla’s 400 volts, it said.

The Hyundai IONIQ 5 may push the buttons for buyers who are ready to go electric but aren’t into Tesla, according to the US media outlet.

According to industry data, the only EV models equipped with the 800-volt charging system and price tags lower than 100 million won ($81,100) are the IONIQ 5 and Kia’s EV6.

Hyundai and Kia, the two automaking units of Hyundai Motor Group, will likely emerge as the combined EV market leader by 2025, as the 800-volt charging system is expected to become the standard.

Write to Han-Shin Park at phs@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.