[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Another fire has occurred in Hyundai Motor's Kona electric vehicle (EV), prompting the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to investigate the cause.
According to the automotive industry and the Ministry on the 23rd, a fire broke out in a Kona EV parked at a pension in Boryeong, Chungnam on the 18th. The vehicle was not charging at the time, and it is reported that it was not subject to a recall.
Regarding this fire, the Korea Automotive Technology Institute is investigating the cause in connection with the ongoing Kona EV defect investigation. Due to severe damage to the car's battery and other parts, it is expected to take time to determine the exact cause of the fire.
Earlier, Hyundai Motor decided to recall a total of 81,701 vehicles worldwide, including 75,680 Kona EVs produced from November 2017 to March 2020, 5,716 Ioniq EVs, and 305 Elec City buses.
Among the batteries used in these three models, it was confirmed that some high-voltage batteries produced in the early period (September 2017 to July 2019) at LG Energy Solution's Nanjing plant in China had a possibility of fire due to internal short circuits caused by cell manufacturing defects.
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