Hyundai Motor Company has become the first South Korean automaker to fully disclose battery manufacturers for its EV models, a move expected to influence other brands like Kia and BMW, amid rising consumer concerns following a Mercedes-Benz EV fire and the government's push for transparency. /News1

Hyundai Motor Company has become the first domestic automaker in the South Korean automotive industry to fully disclose the battery manufacturers for 13 of its Hyundai and Genesis electric vehicle (EV) models.

This move comes in response to growing consumer anxiety about EV safety, following a recent incident where a Mercedes-Benz EV caught fire in an underground parking lot in Incheon’s Cheongna district on Aug. 1, leading to a major blaze.

The Mercedes-Benz vehicle in question was equipped with a battery from Farasis, a Chinese company ranked within the top 10 globally, but this information was not initially made public.

In response to this incident, South Korean automakers like Hyundai have started to disclose battery information to ease customer concerns.

According to Hyundai, aside from the second-generation Kona Electric compact SUV, which uses a battery from China’s CATL, all other models are equipped with batteries from SK On and LG Energy Solution.

A Hyundai representative explained, “While we’ve previously provided battery information in response to media or customer inquiries, the recent surge in requests after the incident prompted us to make this information easily accessible on our website.”

Illustrated by Lee Chul-won

This move by Hyundai is expected to influence other car manufacturers as well, especially since customer service centers and dealers are already seeing a surge in requests from customers asking about the origin of the batteries in their vehicles.

Kia, which is part of the same group as Hyundai, is expected to start sharing similar battery information to the public soon.

Additionally, BMW, the leading foreign car brand in Korea, is planning to reveal the battery manufacturers for all its electric vehicles on its website, possibly as soon as this week.

Meanwhile, the S. Korean government is pushing for full disclosure of battery manufacturers starting next year, but some imported car brands have expressed that they would need to coordinate with their headquarters, as their policy is to keep battery manufacturer information confidential.