Samsung and Hyundai have been collaborating on automobile technology for six years, but their partnership grew bigger this year. The two South Korean companies have decided to collaborate for electric cars. Apart from providing Exynos chipsets and OLED screens, Samsung will also supply batteries for future Hyundai electric cars.
It is being reported that Samsung has completed the test of its batteries for Hyundai cars. The collaboration between the companies is expected to accelerate after Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-Yong met Hyundai Motor Group's Vice Chairman Jung Sun last week in a high-profile meeting. Samsung SDI's flagship battery solution is expected to be used in Hyundai's electric cars.
Hyundai will use Samsung's batteries in Genesis' fully electric car and Kia's plug-in hybrid vehicle. The Genesis G80's electric version, which will be launched in 2021, will use the South Korean tech firm's batteries. The car will reportedly be able to run for 500km on a single charge. It is also equipped with level-3 autonomous driving technology, which is being jointly developed by Hyundai and Samsung.
Samsung's lithium square battery is also expected to be used in Hyundai's commercial vehicle that is slated to be released in two to three years from now. Currently, Hyundai uses batteries from LG Chem and SK Innovation for popular electric vehicles such as cars (Ioniq EV, Kona EV, and Niro EV) and buses.
The officials from the two South Korean firms are speaking carefully, though. A Hyundai Motor Group official said, “It is true that the two companies have completed driving tests for Samsung battery adoption together, but it has not yet been confirmed whether the model or final battery will be adopted.“