May 08, 2024

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A concept image of an electric vehicle produced using Hyundai Steel‘s steel plates. (Hyundai Steel)

South Korean steelmaker Hyundai Steel said Tuesday it has developed multiple technologies to target the materials market for electric vehicle parts.

The demand for durable steel parts to protect passengers and batteries have been increasing as a trend in the EV automaking industry, it explained.

As part of its efforts in catering to this growing demand, the steelmaker unveiled its newly developed high-quality noise-reducing alloy steel earlier this month, it added.

The technology, which reduces noise emitted by EVs when shifting gears, was developed with Hyundai Motor Group and its affiliate Kia Motors, and was certified by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy as a “New Excellent Technology.”

The new reducers improve thermal management by 48 percent and doubles durability compared to similar products made from other steels, according to the company.

“With the newly developed alloy steel, we seek to gain a competitive edge in the EV materials market,” the company said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the steelmaker also revealed two newly developed steel plates—the 1.8 GPa Premium Hot Stamping and the 1.5 GPa Martensitic steel plates—in 2021.

Hyundai Steel produced 145,000 1.8 GPa hot stamped steel plates last year and supplied them to Hyundai Motor.

Hot stamping, a relatively new method of molding ultra-strong steel into complex shapes, heats steel to over 900 degrees Celsius. Hyundai Steel made a breakthrough last year by reducing the heating temperature to less than 850 degrees Celsius.

Hot stamping creates strong but light steel plates.

Breakthroughs were also made when developing the 1.5 GPa steel plates. Usually, a 1.5 GPa martensitic steel plate is not flat enough and cracks easily. However, Hyundai Steel replaced the rapid cooling process with a heat technology, making the plates flatter and more durable.

A Hyundai Steel official said it hopes that its new technologies would “certify Hyundai Steel’s superb technological aptitude and acquire competitiveness in the EV parts market.”

By Lee Seung-ku (seungku99@heraldcorp.com)