Hyundai Motor-UL Join Forces to Enhance Safety of Electric Vehicle Battery Reuse System

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyewon] Hyundai Motor Group is pursuing a strategic collaboration with global safety certification company UL to enhance the safety of electric vehicle battery reuse energy storage systems (Second Life Battery Energy Storage System, hereinafter SLBESS).

Hyundai Motor Group announced on the 25th that it recently signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with UL regarding 'SLBESS product certification and demonstration.' The related signing ceremony held at UL Korea was attended by Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Officer President Ji Youngjo and UL Commercial General President Sajib Jesudas, among other officials.

Through this agreement, both companies plan to promote multifaceted mutual cooperation for SLBESS using reused electric vehicle batteries, including ▲ the introduction of differentiated 'UL Signature Solution' to enhance reliability ▲ joint development of dedicated UL evaluation standards ▲ and execution of demonstration projects in North America.

Hyundai Motor Group will introduce the UL Signature Solution, which strictly verifies the safety of specific products from the early stages of SLBESS development. This is expected to fundamentally strengthen the safety of SLBESS while also reducing the time required for safety certification.

Additionally, Hyundai Motor Group plans to secure world-class safety by jointly developing UL evaluation standards that reflect the detailed structural characteristics of electric vehicle batteries, such as SLBESS technology and module/pack units. Through this collaboration with UL, Hyundai Motor Group expects not only to establish guidelines for improving SLBESS quality but also to enhance external credibility.

The two companies will also cooperate on SLBESS demonstration projects in North America. To this end, Hyundai Motor Group will focus on SLBESS development and demonstration, while UL will provide certification for individual products, accelerating business advancement in the North American market.

Furthermore, they plan to seek comprehensive cooperation to pioneer new businesses, including various joint developments in the field of electric vehicle battery reuse.

President Ji said, "We expect to maximize the safety of SLBESS through strategic collaboration with a global safety certification specialist."

President Sajib said, "Through this cooperation with Hyundai Motor Group, by sharing excellent research and development (R&D) capabilities between the two companies, we will contribute to the development and safety certification of competitive SLBESS in the global market."