April 20, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Korea will develop a small electricity-powered truck by 2019 and make efforts to improve the country’s charging infrastructure, the Commerce Ministry said on Dec. 19.

The ministry said it will team up with small and medium-sized parts companies to develop a 1-ton capacity electric truck that can run over 250 kilometers on a single charge.

The development plan is part of the government’s broader efforts to increase the number of electric vehicles to 350,000 by 2022 to keep up with latest industry trend and reduce air pollution.

To extend the driving range, the ministry plans to improve the efficiency of secondary battery cells and expand charging facilities.

Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors have released various lineups of electric vehicles and hybrid models, but almost all large trucks on the market are diesel-powered vehicles.

The ministry also vowed to step up investment in key technologies for autonomous vehicles, including radar, data storage and communications module, setting a goal to put self-driving cars on the highway by 2020.

By Alex Lee and newswires (alexlee@heraldcorp.com)