Hyundai Mobis is building its third core parts plant for electric vehicles in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, Korea, following plants in Chungju and Ulsan, Green Car Congress reports.
The new factory in Pyeongtaek is located in Poseung District (BIX) in Pyeongtaek within the Yellow Sea Free Economic Zone, and the site is 16,726 m2 ; Hyundai Mobis is investing 35.5 billion won (US$30 million) to start construction in September. From the second half of next year, the new plant is expected to mass-produce 150,000 EV-specific module parts per year.
Hyundai Mobis’ investment in the Pyeongtaek plant is in line with the company’s strategy of leading the electric vehicle core parts market.
In order to localize EV core parts and establish a large-scale mass production system, Hyundai Mobis began construction of the Chungju plant in 2013, Chungju Plant 2 in 2018, and added plant dedicated to electric vehicle core parts in Ulsan last year.
The new plant in Pyeongtaek is expected to create synergies such as product development and logistics efficiency by forming a tripod between Chungju and Ulsan, the existing eco-friendly car factory of Hyundai Mobis. It is only about 13 km away from the Hwaseong plant of Kia Motors.
Hyundai Mobis plans to produce and supply PE modules and chassis modules (undercarriage parts for front and rear wheels) incorporating key parts for electric vehicles (motors, inverters, reducers, etc.) at the Pyeongtaek plant.
The PE module takes the role of the engine of existing internal combustion vehicles, and is a core component optimized for electric vehicle models. Demand is increasing rapidly with the recent increase in vehicle types. Hyundai Mobis plans to secure a production capacity of 150,000 units next year, and expand its production facilities to supply PE modules up to 300,000 units by 2026.
Hyundai Mobis is also strengthening its R&D investment. In particular, it is focusing on developing a chassis module and smart cabin (built-in) platform specialized for autonomous driving and electric vehicles.