C OVER STORY Intervie w

© Hyundai
“800-V systems will dominate
the market in the future”
In recent years, Hyundai Motor has established itself as a central player in the field of electro­
mobility. As one of only a few internationally operating companies to date, the South Korean
automaker offers ­several BEV models with 800 V technology. In the interview, Dr. Jinhwan Jung,
Vice President of ­Hyundai Motor Company and Head of the Electrified Propulsion Engineering
Design Center, comments on trends and ­technology paths in the areas of battery electric and
fuel cell drives as well as traction batteries and charging technology.

MTZ _ What electrification strategy does
Hyundai have? Is it possible to simultane-
ously cover the whole range of applications?
JUNG _ Hyundai Motor targets the global
market, which includes as diverse regions
as Europe, the USA, Asia and emerging
24
markets. Everyone knows, the pace of
transition to electrification in each mar-
ket is different. The past few years have
been chaotic times, and it is difficult
to predict the direction and speed of
electrification in the automotive indus-
try. Nevertheless, based on its strong
research and development capabilities,
Hyundai covers – based on demand –
all areas from 48-V mild hybrids through
high-voltage hybrid and plug-in hybrid
vehicles to BEVs with 400 and 800 V.
www.springerprofessional.com/automotive
 Dr. Jinhwan Jung is Vice President of Hyundai Motor Company

© Hyundai
and Head of the Electrified Propulsion Engineering Design Center in
Namyang (South Korea). In this position, he is responsible for the
development of all ­electrified propulsion systems for EVs and Power­
trains for vehicles with internal combustion engine. He led the develop­
ment of the high-efficiency SiC motor system with 400-/800-V multi-
charging functions for Hyundai’s E-GMP power electronics system.
Jung studied Electronic Engineering at Pohang University of Science
and Technology in Pohang (South Korea) and earned his PhD in 1999.
He joined the research and de­­velopment division of Hyundai Motor
Company in December 1998 as Senior Research ­Engineer in the
Electric Power System Development Team and led the Power Conver­
sion System development for hybrid and electric vehicles. In 2011
Jung became Engineering Design Team Leader for Electric Power
Conversion Systems. From December 2018 to December 2019, he
was Engineering Group Leader over Electrified Power Electric system
­engineering design and development. In 2020 Jung became Vice
­President and Head of Electrified Propulsion System Development
Group, responsible for Electrified Propulsion System engineering design
and development before taking his current position in January 2022.

I think that we are leaders in the tech-
nology of the 800-V system in parti­
cular. The Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, which
were mass-produced from 2021 and
2022 respectively, are a proof of that.
Which voltage level will dominate the
mass market?
In the hybrid system, the voltage level
is not expected to change significantly
unless the system changes significantly.
However, BEVs should be optimized for
charging and also be prepared for the
high performance of the driving system.
In addition, changes in power semicon-
ductor technology should be appropriately
used. High voltage is more advantageous
than anything else to meet the demand
for shorter charging time. The 800-V sys-
tem is expected to dominate the electric
vehicle market in the future considering,
for example, the thickness of the cable at
the charging station, high voltage wires
and connectors or the efficient use of the
SiC power semiconductors. However, I
think that the additional cost of enabling
charging with 800 V in the charging in­­
frastructure, which is mainly 400 V, may
be a roadblock to future technology opti-
mization. Appropriate technical prepara-
tions are needed for this part.
Which electric motor technology is economi-
cally most viable? Which is ideal in terms of
material use and sustainability?
I think the most suitable motor type is
the permanent magnet synchronous
MTZ worldwide 04|2023    25
motor using a rare earth permanent
magnet considering efficiency, size
and weight. This type of motor is also
applied to our E-GMP platform electric
vehicles. If the efficiency of the motor
system is improved, also the maximum
driving range increases. In other words,
improving the efficiency can reduce the
battery capacity needed to achieve a
certain range. If you compare the cost
of improving the efficiency of the bat-
tery and the motor system in terms
of economics, the answer is clear. In
addition, it is possible to reduce the
weight and secure additional space
by reducing the battery capacity. How-
ever, con­­sid­ering the risks of rare earth
supply, the technologies to reduce de­­
pendence on rare earths should be con­­
tinuously developed.
“The multi-charging system can use
the maximum output of a 400-V charger”
How can this be achieved?
I think developing magnets with less
rare earths is the best way to reduce
the dependence while maintaining the
existing technology platform. Many
companies work on these technologies
and the performance of the motors is
steadi­­ly im­­proving. Another way is
using a drive that is not completely
dependent on magnets. Wound rotor
type synchronous motors are consid-
ered for the main drive, and induction
motors for the auxiliary or secondary
drive. Considering the torque generat-
ing mechanism, it will be difficult with
non-rare earth motors to catch up with
the efficiency and size of the permanent
magnet synchronous motor. We are also
stepping up efforts to develop technolo-
gies to minimize this difference.
Hyundai relies on inverter charging for
its 800-V BEVs instead of a switchable
­battery. What are the reasons for this?
Although many 800-V charging infra-
structures based on CCS (Combined
Charging System) are being prepared,
so far, most of the charging infrastruc-
ture is based on a 400-V system. In the
early development of the Ioniq 5, the
most difficult task was answering the
question of how to best charge an
800-V vehicle given this charging in­­
frastructure. One of the most compe­
titive ideas was to use a motor system
that had no role in charging. By using
the inductor of the motor and the pow­­
er semiconductor of the inverter, it was
possible to im­­plement the function of
boosting the voltage at a limited cost.
C OVER STORY Intervie w

We call it multi-charging system.

Porsche uses a separate converter,
and GM uses a switchable battery. I
think each company determined the
direction of technology by judging
according to their de­­velopment strat-
egy. However, the multi-charging
system developed by Hyundai has
the advantage of being able to use
the maximum output that the charg­
­er can supply in the 400-V infrastruc-
ture compared to the switchable bat-
tery technology. By extracting and
boosting the maximum current from
the maximum voltage that the infra-
structure can output, the 800-V bat­­
tery can be charged at the maximum
output that the charg­­er can supply.
In addition, it has advantages in terms
of material cost, weight, and space,
because it can be implement­­ed only
with changes in some parts that are
­limited compared to other technologies.

Which battery chemistry is most promis-

ing for the near future? Will the solid-state “Improving the effi-
­battery soon feasible for BEVs? ciency can reduce
the battery capacity
The lithium-ion battery currently

used in many of Hyundai’s BEVs has
been ­f urther developed by improv-
ing cell chemistry – for example, by
using a high nickel content – and
achieves ­excellent performance. The
solid-­state battery and the lithium-
metal ­battery are feasible next gene­
ration b­ attery ­technologies that have
an ­excellent energy density and safe­
­ty. Both are being pursued in parallel
with advanced lithium-ion and lith-
ium iron phosphate batteries.
Will batteries be integrated even more
into the body structure or is ­integration
at module level advantageous?
As the performance of the battery
cell mounted on the BEV is improv-
ing, the system configuration is also
improving at the same time. In terms
of battery ­systems, Hyundai is dev­
eloping structural enhancements
such as cell-to-pack and cell-to-vehi-
cle. The cell-to-pack ­technology can
increase system efficiency through
standardization, and it is easy to
recycle and repair batteries. Cell-to-­
vehicle is a concept of mounting a
battery in a vehicle body structure,
which has the advantage that the b
attery can be placed most efficiently
in a given installation space. But vari-
needed to achieve
a certain range”,
says Jung
ous eviews are necessary for appli­­
cation to actual vehicles, such as
the ease of battery repairing. There-
fore, Hyundai develops a battery
system upgrade through compre­­
hensive reviews including not only
the basic performance, but also en­­
suring the convenience of recycling
and repairing.
“System efficiency and reliability are considered
most important for improving the TCO”
How do you assess the areas of application
for fuel cells?
Hyundai is pushing for the distribu-
tion of fuel cell vehicles under the
vision of popularizing hydrogen mo­­
bility until 2040. The technology will
be applied to both passenger cars and
commercial vehicles. To expand the
usage of hydrogen, we have been de­­
ploying fuel cell commercial vehicles
and developing ­various applications
© Hyundai
including buses and garbage trucks
using the system of the Hyundai Nexo.
In addition, we are partnering with
Iveco to develop commercial vans
using fuel cells. In the future, fuel
cells are expected to be applied to
large commercial vehicles and com­­
mercial vans, and if the hydrogen
society is realized early, it is highly
likely that passenger cars and small
commercial vehicles will also be
applied with hydrogen powertrains
responding to the Zero Emission
Ve­­h icle regulations around 2035 in
Europe and California.
Especially in commercial vehicles, the
total cost of ownership is the decisive
­factor. How can the costs for fuel cell
drives be reduced?

26 www.springerprofessional.com/automotive

© Hyundai
Due to the characteristics of com­mer­­
cial vehicles, the total mileage of
around 1 million km is high, so the
system efficiency and the reliability
of the fuel cell system are consid-
ered to be the most important factors
in improving the TCO. If the ­system
needs to be replaced during the total
operating period, this will be a fatal
disadvantage in terms of TCO. It is
necessary to develop a fuel cell sys-
tem with reliability suitable for com­
mercial vehicles, which I believe starts
with setting an appropriate level of
reliability standards through a close
examination of the profile in which
commercial vehicles are operated. In­­
creasing the maximum range through
the integrated thermal management
of the stack and battery, the optimi­­
zation of the driving system, and the
improvement of aerodynamic charac­
teristics are also expected to contrib-
ute to the improvement of the TCO
side. Many technologies being devel-
oped in battery-electric vehicles can
be applied horizontally. In the mid to
MTZ worldwide 04|2023    27
“It will be difficult for non-rare earth motors to catch
up with the efficiency and size of the permanent magnet
­synchronous motor” says Jung
long term, it is possible to reduce op­­ great­­er in the emerging markets.
erating costs by stabilizing hydrogen From the strategy establishment
prices and commercializing liquefied stage, it is nec­essary to pay close
hydrogen by establishing a stable hy­­ attention to the dif­ferences in each
drogen supply network including pro- market’s regional conditions, such
duction, distribution, and supply. as infrastructure construction, en­­
vironmental policy, and tax pol­­icy.
How much do Hyundai’s drive technolo- Nevertheless, Hyundai has valid
gies differ in the various world markets? technology portfolios appro­priate
In ­emerging and developing countries, a for each region and plans to de­­ploy
rapid build-up of infrastructure is hardly suitable driving technology for each
to be expected. market by responding with maxi­­
As mentioned, Hyundai Motor is mum flexibility.
tar­geting the global market and has
ex­­pertise in all technological fields Dr. Jung, thank you for
in­­cluding c­ ombustion engines, mild this interesting interview.
hy­­brids, high-­voltage hybrid and plug-­
­in hybrid vehicles, battery-electric
vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles.
But, of course, this does not mean that
we will provide all technologies to all
markets. There is a huge gap in terms
of ve­­h icle electrification between ad­­
vanced markets and emerging markets.
And the uncertainty and confusions
ex­­perienced in the electrification era
in advanced markets will become INTERVIEW: Thomas Schneider