Automotive Research Institute Accelerates Future Car Research... Commercialization of Autonomous Driving Radar Technology and More

Commercialization of Radar Technology Supporting Autonomous Driving Level 3... Records Approximately 28 Billion KRW in New Sales
Accelerating Development of New Technologies Including Indirect Modular Heat Pumps

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] The Korea Automotive Technology Institute is accelerating technology development in collaboration with domestic companies to establish a proactive response foundation for the paradigm shift in future vehicles.

The Korea Automotive Technology Institute announced on the 11th that, supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's Industrial Technology Innovation Project, it achieved results last year in line with the government's future vehicle policy direction, including sales expansion through technology commercialization in the parts industry, localization of core technologies, and securing leading technologies in key areas such as autonomous vehicles, eco-friendly vehicles, and materials, parts, and equipment.

First, the Korea Automotive Technology Institute commercialized radar technology capable of supporting autonomous driving level 3, and the domestic automotive parts company M commercialized mid- to long-range radar using this technology, recording new sales of 8.22 billion KRW and 19.96 billion KRW respectively last year.

Additionally, by developing the 'new refrigerant applied indirect thermal management module,' a core technology of the integrated thermal management system for future vehicles, the design and manufacturing of key components with improved complexity were completed. The indirect modular heat pump jointly developed with company H is planned to be applied to next-generation sports utility vehicle (SUV) electric vehicles of domestic automakers in the future.

The Korea Automotive Technology Institute also jointly developed core technologies for high energy density lithium secondary batteries with domestic materials and chemical companies, and domestic battery specialist company L plans to secure the capability to mass-produce next-generation batteries with a scale of 260GWh by 2023 by directly and indirectly applying these technologies.

Furthermore, the Korea Automotive Technology Institute developed a fuel cell cooling system for hydrogen electric commercial vehicles by utilizing the existing fuel cell system for hydrogen electric passenger cars. Hyundai Motor Company succeeded in mass-producing the world's first hydrogen truck, the Xcient Fuel Cell, using this technology and exported it to Switzerland.

In particular, the Korea Automotive Technology Institute developed an open shared platform for ultra-compact passenger and commercial electric vehicles, and by localizing the multipurpose chassis frame for highly expandable special purpose vehicles (7~12t), it laid the groundwork for domestic electric vehicle and special parts companies to enter the ASEAN market and secure market leadership.