There was another fire for Hyundai Motor's Kona EV. The incident happened while Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solutions, a battery maker, were carrying out a massive recall at a combined cost of 1.4 trillion won.
According to the fire department, police and related industries, a fire broke out in a Kona EV parked at vacation homes near a beach in Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do on the 18th. At 9:39 a.m. that day, the first report was received at the Boryeong Fire Station, and the fire was extinguished after the vehicle were completely burned down. The fire was identical to a high-voltage battery fire.
A Hyundai Motor official said, "The Korea Transportation Safety Authority's Automobile Research Institute (KATRI), Hyundai Motor, and battery manufacturers are investigating the root cause of the fire together."
Hyundai Motor Company installed LG Energy Solution (LG Chem before spin-off) batterues in Kona EV. As the battery supply shortage became worse, Hyundai Motor installed SK Innovation battery in some Kona EV models.
"The investigation is still in its early stages, so there is no relevant information," a Hyundai Motor official said.
The fire left Kona EV with a total of 16 fire records, including 12 in Korea and four overseas, since its first launch in 2018.
Kona EV sold 11,193 units in the first year of its launch in South Korea and a cumulative 33,830 units as of March. A total of 101,574 units were sold abroad.
After first updating the battery management system (BMS), the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport conducted a recall to replace batteries if signs of abnormalities such as excessive inter-cell voltage deviations or rapid temperature changes are confirmed.
Reporter Lee Ji-sun stockmk2020@gmail.com
