Impact of Growing ‘Electric Car Anxiety’,
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Demonstration of electric vehicle fire suppression – Firefighters demonstrate extinguishing electric vehicle fire using asphyxiation fire extinguisher and tank for electric vehicle at a joint civil-military education event held at the Songdo 2-dong administrative welfare center parking lot in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon on the 13th. After a Mercedes-Benz electric car fire incident in Cheongna, Incheon earlier this month raised consumer anxiety about electric car batteries, automotive companies have been releasing battery manufacturer information one after another. /Yonhap,
, ‘There is an unstoppable trend of disclosing information about the battery manufacturers used in electric cars operating in Korea. After it was revealed that a Mercedes-Benz electric car involved in a major underground parking lot fire incident in Incheon Cheongna on the 1st of the month was equipped with products from the world’s top 10 Chinese company Para Sis, concerns grew that improperly verified batteries could be a direct cause of fires.’,
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, ‘Starting with Hyundai on the 10th, followed by Kia and BMW, and then Mercedes-Benz on the 13th, each company has revealed the battery manufacturers for their respective models. Other import car companies are also actively considering disclosure due to significant concerns from Korean consumers. On the same day, the government, under the auspices of the State Affairs Planning Office, discussed countermeasures for electric vehicle fires and decided to recommend battery information disclosure to all domestic manufacturers.’,
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Graphic by Lee Jin-young,
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, ‘The automotive industry is paying close attention to Mercedes-Benz’s recent disclosure of battery manufacturers. Of the total 29 electric car models sold by Benz in Korea, it was revealed that among a total of 5582 units of 8 models, batteries from the Chinese company Para Sis were used. The remaining models were equipped with batteries from the world’s top Chinese CATL (12 models) and domestic companies SK On (7 models) and LG Energy Solution (2 models).’,
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, ‘In addition to the burning vehicle (EQE 350+) equipped with Para Sis products, other trims of the EQE model such as EQE 53 4MATIC+, EQE 350 4MATIC, and EQE 500 4MATIC SUV were also found to have Para Sis batteries. Also, the luxury electric car EQS 350 (2022 model) with a starting price of about 140 million won had Para Sis batteries in 772 units.’,
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, ‘Just after the Cheongna fire incident on the 1st, Benz stated that “it is a principle not to disclose individual part manufacturers” and thus could not reveal the battery manufacturer of the burned vehicle. Even after the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport revealed that the battery manufacturer for that vehicle was Para Sis, Benz maintained the same stance. However, the industry reacted to the suspicion that Benz’s adherence to the headquarters’ principles would further increase Korean consumer distrust.’,
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, ‘In fact, this trend is solidifying. As anxiety over electric cars is expected to further dampen electric car demand in the second half of this year due to electric car phobia, some in the industry are even saying, “How transparently electric car information is disclosed will determine survival.”‘,
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, ‘In Seoul’s Yongsan-gu, the electric car company Polstar, which unveiled a new model ‘Polstar 4’ for the first time in two years, announced that the new model is equipped with NCM (Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese) batteries from China’s CATL. Ham Jong-sung, CEO of Polstar Korea, said, “Since launching the first car in Korea in 2022, we have transparently disclosed the battery manufacturer, and we will continue to do so for future new model launches.”‘,
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, ‘Stellantis, which includes brands like Jeep and Peugeot, announced that it will disclose battery manufacturers through its website this week. Porsche and Jaguar Land Rover will also do so in mid-August. Tesla, GM, Renault, Volkswagen, Audi, and other companies are also in discussions with their head offices regarding disclosure.’,
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, ‘The government plans to announce comprehensive measures to prevent and respond to electric vehicle fires next month. In advance of this, it has recommended that companies selling cars in Korea conduct free inspections of electric cars and disclose battery information. Moreover, emergency inspections of fire facilities such as sprinklers installed in underground parking lots of a certain scale are planned. Following a fire in an underground parking lot in Cheongna on the 1st, there were criticisms that damages were exacerbated because the apartment complex personnel turned off the sprinklers.’,
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, ‘In the long term, the government is also expected to handle related subsidy systems by installing devices that prevent ‘overcharging,’ considered as one of the causes of fires in electric vehicle chargers, or providing differentiated subsidies for batteries equipped with alert functions in case of fire.’,
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