Author: Min-jae Kim

South Korean battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution has launched its participation in SDVerse, becoming the first battery company to join the business-to-business (B2B) automotive software marketplace as it expands beyond hardware into software and services for software-defined vehicles (SDVs). SDVerse, co-founded in 2024 by General Motors, Magna, and Wipro, provides a platform where automotive companies can list, search, and evaluate software solutions. LG Energy Solution is contributing five software products to the marketplace: Battery Platform SW, Safety Diagnostic Calibration Tool, Onboard FRISM, Onboard BLiS, and Onboard DASH. These offerings cover battery diagnostics, degradation analysis, and performance simulation, reflecting the company’s…

Porsche will introduce its all-electric Cayenne in South Korea in the second half of the year and confirmed that all of its electric vehicles sold in the country will use locally sourced battery cells, as the company adapts to consumer preferences and regulatory scrutiny. The Cayenne Electric, first unveiled in November 2025, is currently in series production in Slovakia and will join the brand’s existing electric lineup in South Korea, including the Macan Electric and the Taycan. Mathias Busse said the company is confident in its localisation strategy. “We feel very confident for having Korean batteries in all our Porsche…

South Korea’s competition regulator has fined Mercedes-Benz the equivalent of about €6.5 million for allegedly misleading consumers about the battery suppliers used in some of its electric vehicle models. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said the automaker promoted its Mercedes-Benz EQE and Mercedes-Benz EQS models as using battery cells supplied by CATL. According to the regulator, certain variants of these vehicles were instead equipped with battery cells from Farasis Energy. The KFTC said dealership sales guidelines stated that all EQE and EQS vehicles were fitted with CATL battery cells, while information about Farasis-supplied batteries was not included in dealer…

Hyundai Motor Group Robotics LAB has launched the MobED Alliance, a collaborative initiative designed to accelerate the commercialization of its MobED mobile robot platform in South Korea. The alliance was unveiled during Automation World 2026 in Seoul and brings together component suppliers, robotics solution providers and industry organizations to support the domestic rollout of the robot platform. Initial partners include automotive component suppliers Hyundai Transys and SL Corporation, robotics firms LS THiRA-UTECH and Kaon Robotics, and the Korea Association of AI Robot Industry. The group plans to develop ten industry-specific modules that can be mounted onto the MobED platform for…

Lenovo and South Korean autonomous mobility firm SWM have announced a partnership to co-develop a Level 4 autonomous robotaxi platform designed for deployment in several international markets. The platform will combine SWM’s AP-700 Autonomous Driving Platform with Lenovo Vehicle Computing’s AD1 Autonomous Driving Domain Controller, which is built on the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor computing platform. According to the companies, the AD1 system is designed to support high-performance autonomous driving applications and is based on NVIDIA Blackwell Architecture, delivering more than 2,000 TFLOPS of artificial intelligence processing power at FP8 and INT8 precision. The computing platform is intended to support…

SK On and POSCO have signed a lithium supply agreement running through 2028, covering up to 25,000 tonnes of lithium concentrate sourced from Argentina. The volume is expected to support the annual production of approximately 400,000 electric vehicle batteries, according to SK On. The lithium concentrate will be used in battery-electric vehicle projects in Europe and North America, as well as in stationary energy storage systems. See also: SK On, Seoul National University Report Breakthrough in Single-Crystal Cathode Research SK On said the agreement forms part of its broader effort to diversify its raw material supply chain. South Korean media…

Qnovo said it has received a strategic investment from Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation, as the companies expand cooperation on battery management software for electric mobility applications. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Qnovo develops software designed to monitor and manage lithium-ion battery performance through predictive, physics-based algorithms. The company said the investment will support wider deployment of its battery intelligence platform across current and future electric vehicle architectures. See also: Qnovo Partners with Sonatus to Accelerate AI-Driven Battery Safety Integration for Software-Defined Vehicles The move comes as global battery demand continues to rise, driven by growth…

Porsche will equip all electric vehicles sold in South Korea exclusively with Korean battery cells starting this year, according to a report by The Chosun Daily. The move affects the Macan Electric, which until now has been fitted with battery cells from CATL. From the 2026 model year onward, vehicles sold in South Korea will use cells supplied by Samsung SDI, the newspaper reported. See also: Porsche Weighs Cancelling Electric 718 Models Amid Cost Pressures and Delays The Taycan and the upcoming Cayenne Electric already use battery cells from LG Energy Solution. The reported change therefore applies primarily to the…

bitsensing has introduced an aftermarket advanced driver assistance system for commercial vehicles, aiming to improve road safety and regulatory compliance for fleet operators through a retrofit-ready solution. The Seoul-based radar specialist said its newly launched ADAS Kit combines radar and camera technologies to provide real-time warnings for collision risks and blind-spot hazards during driving, manoeuvring and stationary scenarios. The system is designed for buses, trucks and other large fleet vehicles, which typically face higher safety risks due to extended blind spots and longer braking distances. The ADAS Kit uses a sensor-fusion architecture that integrates radar sensors powered by NXP Semiconductors’…

Kia has unveiled a fully electric pickup variant of its PV5 electric transporter, expanding its push into the light commercial electric vehicle segment under its “Platform Beyond Vehicle” (PBV) strategy. The PV5 pickup has opened for orders in South Korea with prices starting at 43.45 million won ($25,200), according to the automaker. The model shares its front-end design with the PV5 van up to the B-pillar, but replaces the rear body with a metal panel and open load bed, creating a configuration similar in concept to flatbed electric vans offered by other manufacturers. See also: Kia PV5 Earns Global Awards…

Hyundai Mobis said it secured $9.17 billion in global orders in 2025 from automakers outside its parent group, beating its annual target by 23% as demand for electrification components and electronic systems rose and its customer base expanded in China and India. The South Korea-based automotive supplier had initially targeted $7.45 billion in orders for the year. The stronger-than-expected performance was driven mainly by contracts for battery systems and chassis modules from North American and European customers, as well as increased orders for advanced electronic components, the company said. See also: Hyundai Mobis Develops 5G-Based Integrated Telematics Unit for Connected…

A Korean-Chinese consortium has delivered 249 hydrogen fuel cell buses to Guangzhou’s state-owned public transport operator, marking a significant milestone for fuel cell mobility in China, the partners said. The buses were supplied under a partnership between HTWO Guangzhou, a hydrogen fuel cell subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group, and China’s Kaiwo Group, which operates internationally under the Skywell name and markets vehicles under the Skyworth brand. The companies described the programme as “one of the largest hydrogen bus projects in China”. See also: Hyundai Motor Group and Pyeongtaek City Partner to Develop Korea’s First Green Hydrogen Port The delivery completes…