Hyundai Motor At IAA Mobility 2021
At IAA Mobility 2021, Hyundai Motor outlined its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality in its products and global operations by 2045. In addition, the company unveiled its all-electric robotaxi together with Motional, which is based on its IONIQ 5.
This year, IAA took place in Munich, Germany, for the first time. It marked Hyundai’s first motor show appearance in Europe since the coronavirus pandemic began, and a series of regulations were in place to ensure the safety of exhibitors and attendees.
“IAA is traditionally the leading motor show in Europe, and we were delighted to be able to introduce our path to carbon neutrality at the first-ever Munich event,” said Michael Cole, president and CEO at Hyundai Motor Europe. “IAA also presented us with the opportunity to showcase some of our exciting outlooks, including a world premiere for the IONIQ 5-based robotaxi. This model will serve as a platform for fully autonomous robotaxis, and ultimately make driverless vehicles a safe, reliable and accessible reality.”
During the event, Hyundai also revealed how its integrated, multi-dimensional strategy to achieve carbon neutrality rests on three pillars: clean mobility, next-generation platforms, and green energy.
As part of its push for clean mobility, Hyundai intends to expand its leadership in electrification in coming years and is aiming to secure 30 per cent of its global vehicles sales with zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). By 2040 the company expects that battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) will account for 80 per cent of its total fleet sales.
Hyundai has also announced investments in the field of next-generation transportation platforms. With robotaxi, an SAE Level 4 autonomous driving vehicle is based on IONIQ 5 and developed in collaboration with Motional, a developer of driverless technologies, Motional will begin transporting public passengers when it launches its fully driverless service in 2023. In addition, Hyundai aims to launch an all-electric Urban Air Mobility (UAM) model optimised for intra-city operations in 2028, with plans to launch regional air mobility connecting adjacent cities in the 2030s.
Hyundai’s third pillar illustrates how its carbon-neutral strategy will go far beyond the transition to ZEVs. The company aims to become a clean mobility provider through its long-term investments in green hydrogen based on renewable energy, Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Second Life Battery Energy Storage Systems (SLBESS).
“This year’s IAA has proved to be very successful for everyone connected with Hyundai, and it has given us the opportunity to outline our plans to provide new dimensional solutions and mobility for greener lifestyles, in line with our “Progress for Humanity” vision,” said Andreas-Christoph Hofmann, vice-president marketing and product at Hyundai Motor Europe. “This marks the first step on our path to carbon neutrality, and in the next few years there will be even more exciting products and solutions to come.”
