[2025 Green Mobility] Boldly Moving Forward with Eco-Friendly Initiatives

Comprehensive Review of the Judging Panel

Editor's NoteHosted by Asia Economy and sponsored by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Environment, and the Korea Automobile Mobility Industry Association, the '2025 Green Mobility Awards' is an event designed to encourage the development of eco-friendly cutting-edge technologies and evaluate their achievements, reflecting the era of electrification. Although concerns about the 'Chasm'?a temporary stagnation in demand?are growing amid the popularization of electric vehicles, electrification remains valid in a future-oriented sense.

Mobility companies, including automakers, are fiercely competing to maintain leadership in future technologies. Over the past year, this publication has selected and awarded individuals and companies who have made outstanding achievements in research and technological development related to eco-friendly mobility.

Hong Ki-cheol, Executive Director of Battery Performance Development at Hyundai Motor Company, who received the Green Mobility Award (Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award), was highly praised for leading the development of battery safety diagnostic monitoring technology, significantly enhancing the safety of eco-friendly vehicles.

Following the electric vehicle fire in the underground parking lot of an apartment complex in Cheongna, social demand for electric vehicle battery safety has greatly increased. Domestic and international automakers are conducting multifaceted research and development (R&D) to ensure battery safety.

The electric vehicle battery safety diagnostic monitoring technology, first applied to mass-produced vehicles worldwide by Hyundai Motor Company and Kia in 2020, measures voltage, current, temperature, and insulation resistance during charging and parking to detect charging status, degradation, and micro-short circuits in advance. When abnormalities occur, it actively takes measures such as limiting the charging rate or cutting off power, transmits data to a remote support center, contacts the fire department, and sends text messages to the vehicle owner, thus providing a comprehensive risk warning system.

The Technology Award (Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award) was awarded to Renault Korea. Renault Korea was highly evaluated for generating great response in the domestic market by launching the mid-size sport utility vehicle (SUV) 'Grand Koleos' in September last year.

The Grand Koleos applied 'ultra-high-strength hot press forming' parts to 18% of the body?the highest ratio in its class?and used numerous high-quality materials such as new material Giga Steel with a tensile strength (the strength at which steel breaks when pulled from both ends) of over 980 MPa and ultra-high-strength steel plates, resulting in excellent safety. Kim Pil-soo, chair of the judging panel and professor of the Department of Automotive Studies at Daelim University, commented, "Renault Korea contributed to the success by incorporating new technologies into the Grand Koleos."

The Mobility Innovation Award, presented by the Minister of Environment, was awarded to BMW Korea and Kumho Tire. BMW Korea was recognized for accelerating the popularization of electric vehicles through its charging infrastructure project, the 'Charging Project.' By last year, BMW Korea had established 2,125 charging stations and aims to install approximately 600 more within this year.

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Kumho Tire was acknowledged for leading eco-friendliness in the tire sector by developing low-wear, low-carbon tires that significantly reduce pollutants such as fine dust. Eom Myung-do, director of the Transportation Environment Policy Research Institute and a judging panel member, praised, "To comply with Euro 7 standards, they developed and applied high-performance polymers with strong wear resistance, elevating the technology to the next level."

The Korea Automobile Mobility Industry Association Award for Mobility R&D was given to Hyundai Mobis, which stood out in key mobility fields such as electrification, autonomous driving, infotainment, and connectivity. Hyundai Mobis invested a record-high R&D budget of 1.7 trillion KRW last year and secured numerous key new technologies.

The Asia Economy President's Awards for Mobility Technology and Smart Green were awarded to Toyota Motor Korea and Kakao Mobility, respectively.

Toyota Motor Korea received high praise for introducing the 'bipolar battery,' which connects battery cells in series using both sides of the battery's current collector, reducing volume and increasing output. Kakao Mobility was recognized as a mobility platform company that fulfills social responsibilities across various fields and strives for the transition to green mobility.