Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation Selected as Best Laboratory for Safety Management for Two Consecutive Years

"Excellent Laboratory Safety Management Certification" Organized by the Ministry of Science and ICT

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation have been recognized for their top-level research laboratory safety management capabilities in South Korea by receiving the highest certification awarded by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

On the 26th, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation announced that 10 laboratories, including the Commercial Environment Wind Tunnel Room at the Namyang Research Center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, were recognized for excellence in safety management through the "Excellent Laboratory Safety Management Certification" review organized by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

The "Excellent Laboratory Safety Management Certification System" is a program run by the Ministry of Science and ICT that aims to strengthen the autonomous safety management capabilities of research laboratories in the science and technology sector in South Korea. It grants certification to laboratories that demonstrate outstanding safety management, and helps discover and spread standard models for safety management.

This year, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation received certification for a total of 10 laboratories as excellent laboratories: eight at the Namyang Research Center and two at the Mabuk Research Center. This includes five laboratories that were recertified after two years, as well as five newly certified laboratories. Since joining the certification program in 2022, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation have now received excellent laboratory safety management certification for a total of 18 laboratories.

In addition, the "Excellent Laboratory Safety Management Certification System" selects the top 10% of certified laboratories and awards them the highest grade of "Best Laboratory," along with commendations from the Minister of Science and ICT or the Director-General of the National Research Safety Management Institute, in recognition of their outstanding safety management.

Following the designation of the Electrolyte Membrane Development Laboratory last year, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation have achieved the honor of being selected as the "Best Laboratory for Safety Management" for two consecutive years, as the Commercial Environment Wind Tunnel Room was designated as the best laboratory this year. Notably, the Commercial Environment Wind Tunnel Room was first certified as an excellent laboratory in 2023 and was then designated as the best laboratory during the recertification process. This facility is the only comprehensive environmental real-vehicle test laboratory in South Korea capable of developing not only internal combustion engine vehicles but also eco-friendly vehicles such as electric and hydrogen cars.

(Photo from left) Sanghyun Park, Vice President in charge of Commercial LCM at Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation, and Gangwoong Lee, Principal Researcher of the Commercial Fuel Efficiency and Driving Performance Test Team, posing for a commemorative photo in front of the Commercial Environmental Wind Tunnel. Provided by Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation

Even after receiving excellent laboratory certification for the Commercial Environment Wind Tunnel Room, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation have continued to strengthen safety management by adding advanced safety facilities, such as vehicle extraction processes, fire safety systems, and remote monitoring systems, to prepare for possible fire situations during extreme environment driving tests.

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation are not simply content with obtaining safety certification. Their goal is to establish a rigorous safety management system that exceeds legal standards and to support laboratories in various fields so they can also achieve safety certification. In addition, the companies plan to establish specialized safety management standard models for each sector in next-generation mobility research processes, such as battery and electrification research.

Sanghyun Park, Vice President in charge of Commercial LCM at Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation, stated, "This best laboratory certification reflects not only the top-level safety systems established by Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation, but also the safety-oriented culture and the dedication of our researchers. We will continue to identify additional laboratories with thorough safety management and lead the way in establishing a culture of safety."