The issue of chip shortages doesn’t seem to be a major concern for Hyundai, but the South Korean manufacturer is struggling to address other issues.
Infineon, the world’s largest supplier of automotive chips and the company that builds the semiconductors needed by Hyundai for the IONIQ 5, recently discovered a manufacturing defect affecting the IONIQ 5 manufactured between April and June 2022.
In other words, all Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor chips, also known as IGBTs, come with manufacturing defects that make these chips impossible to install in cars. The IGBT chip is specifically designed for use in electric vehicles, and in Hyundai’s case, South Korea plans to use it precisely in the IONIQ 5.
After discovering a manufacturing defect, Infineon decided to recall all chips manufactured during the April to June 2022 period.
This is not good news for Hyundai’s flagship electric car, as Hyundai is now in a position where they must find a way to prevent the major disruption that befell this year’s World Car of the Year model.
However, Hyundai seems to already have a plan B by buying the necessary chips from other suppliers. STMicroelectronics appears to be in the forefront at the moment, although it is not yet clear whether Hyundai and the French company have signed a deal.
Until this article was published, Hyundai has not announced a recall notice for the IONIQ 5 electric car that is experiencing this chip problem.
