Hyundai stops engine development and reassigns engineers to EVs

TruckElectric

Well-known member
First Name
Bryan
Joined
Jun 16, 2020
Threads
769
Messages
2,482
Reaction score
3,273
Location
Texas
Vehicles
Dodge Ram diesel
Occupation
Retired
Country flag
Hyundai stops engine development and reassigns engineers to EVs
Yet more proof that the internal combustion engine is on borrowed time.
JONATHAN M. GITLIN - Yesterday at undefined

Large-636-NamyangRDCenter-800x501.jpg

Enlarge / Hyundai's Namyang R&D center in 2003.


Last year was challenging for many reasons, but 2021 wasn't entirely bad. Despite the pandemic and the chip shortage, it was a great year for new battery electric vehicles. So much so that more than half of our top 10 drives of the year were BEVs. That's good for consumers looking for a new car—assuming they can find one in stock.

End-of-year top 10 lists are extremely subjective, and no one should read too much into them. But if you want proof of the impending extinction of the internal combustion engine, consider this: On December 23, Hyundai Motor Group (parent company of Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis) shuttered its internal combustion engine research and development division, according to The Korea Economic Daily.

Park Chung-kook, the new head of Hyundai's R&D efforts, explained in an email to Hyundai Motor Group employees that "our own engine development is a great achievement, but we must change the system to create future innovation based on the great asset from the past."

Instead of developing new gasoline- or diesel-powered engines, the researchers and engineers will work on electric powertrains—an area where Hyundai is already extremely competitive.

Previously, Volvo announced that it would also end its internal combustion engine development, but the company appears to be having its cake while still eating it. In 2021, it spun off its entire engine operation—including future R&D and production—to a new joint venture with its parent company, Geely.

I'm not the only one who sees the writing on the wall. Bloomberg envisions a potential crash in the residual value of more expensive gasoline cars, warning that, "while there might still be a robust market for used Honda Accords in 2028, it will probably be a more tenuous market for used gasoline-powered $40,000 sedans and sport utility vehicles as people in that segment switch over to EVs."

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2022/0...nt-and-reassigns-engineers-to-evs/?comments=1
Sponsored

 

Ehninger1212

Well-known member
First Name
Jake
Joined
Dec 18, 2019
Threads
4
Messages
1,222
Reaction score
2,522
Location
Houston, TX
Vehicles
Audi A3 E-Tron - 2005 Land Rover LR3 - T-Bucket - 1951 chevy 3100
Occupation
Architect/Fabricator
Country flag
Hyundai is making all the right moves.
 
OP
OP
TruckElectric

TruckElectric

Well-known member
First Name
Bryan
Joined
Jun 16, 2020
Threads
769
Messages
2,482
Reaction score
3,273
Location
Texas
Vehicles
Dodge Ram diesel
Occupation
Retired
Country flag
Hyundai is making all the right moves.
Just came across this:

Hyundai Denies It's Abandoning Combustion Engine Development
EVs are the future, but the company has told us efficient ICEs won't be dropped anytime soon.
2022-hyundai-elantra-n.jpg



Jan 04, 2022 at 3:53am ET

By: Adrian Padeanu

During the week between Christmas and the New Year, most of us stayed at home recharging our batteries for 2022. However, that wasn’t the case for Business Korea and The Korea Economic Daily as both newspapers from Hyundai's home country published reports about the automaker's decision to close its R&D department in charge of combustion engines.

We contacted Hyundai right away to confirm or deny the speculations made by the media in South Korea, and we now have an official response from a company representative. In an e-mail sent to Motor1.com, Senior Group Manager at Hyundai Motor America, Michael Stewart, said:
"Hyundai Motor Group can confirm that it is not halting the development of its engines following recent media speculation. The Group is dedicated to providing a strong portfolio of powertrains to global customers, which includes a combination of highly efficient engines and zero emissions electric motors."
There you have it – Hyundai isn't quite done yet with the ol' ICE. The decision isn't all too surprising considering an official announcement made last September about becoming a purely electric brand no sooner than 2035 in Europe. The Old Continent will likely be the first region in the world to drop gasoline and diesel engines in passenger cars provided the EU's proposal about banning conventionally powered vehicles will be favorably voted.

2035 is still a long way to go, and with Euro 7 regulations coming into effect in the latter half of this decade, Hyundai still needs to work on combustion engines to make them cleaner and more efficient. Fast forward to 2040, the Asian brand aims to sell only EVs in most major global markets. In 18 years from now, battery-electric and fuel cell electric vehicles should account for 80 percent of annual sales.

Speaking of hydrogen, a separate report published in the final days of 2021 by The Chosun Ilbo claimed Hyundai had halted the development of next-generation fuel cell technology. However, that also turned out to be false since the business newspaper Maeil Business received an official response from a company spokesperson who refuted the rumor: "The automaker denies the speculation, claiming its roadmap on next-generation fuel cell development and electrification of Genesis fleet remains intact."

In other words, Hyundai is pressing ahead on all fronts by offering a wide variety of powertrains to suit different market preferences. Yes, the combustion engine is living on borrowed time, but it won't simply be dropped overnight.
Source: Hyundai

https://www.motor1.com/news/558535/hyundai-denies-combustion-engine-development-end/
 

Ehninger1212

Well-known member
First Name
Jake
Joined
Dec 18, 2019
Threads
4
Messages
1,222
Reaction score
2,522
Location
Houston, TX
Vehicles
Audi A3 E-Tron - 2005 Land Rover LR3 - T-Bucket - 1951 chevy 3100
Occupation
Architect/Fabricator
Country flag
I would like to strike my previous comment from the record.
 
OP
OP
TruckElectric

TruckElectric

Well-known member
First Name
Bryan
Joined
Jun 16, 2020
Threads
769
Messages
2,482
Reaction score
3,273
Location
Texas
Vehicles
Dodge Ram diesel
Occupation
Retired
Country flag
It seems that Tesla, Rivian and some Chinese EV auto manufacturers are the only ones unencumbered with ICE engines in their portfolio.
 


 




Top