Next-generation core materials strategy to focus on sustainable materials, innovative mobility materials, and digital materials; aims to enhance competitiveness of electrification and electronic components while meeting global environmental norms.
03 Sep 2024 | 2527 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
Hyundai Mobis is accelerating the development of new materials for future mobility and achieving diverse R&D milestones. This proactive approach is aimed for it to effectively respond to the anticipated tightening of global environmental regulations around 2030 and enhance its competitive edge in future mobility through high-performance, high-efficiency material technologies.
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Hyundai Mobis is accelerating the development of new materials for future mobility and achieving diverse R&D milestones. This proactive approach is aimed for it to effectively respond to the anticipated tightening of global environmental regulations around 2030 and enhance its competitive edge in future mobility through high-performance, high-efficiency material technologies.
The company’s material development strategy aligns with the increasing emphasis in recent years on securing independent competitiveness in materials, components, and equipment (MCE). It has already established a stable supply chain during the pandemic and continues to achieve independent R&D results in new material development.
To bolster its foundational capabilities in materials for essential automotive components, Hyundai Mobis announced three strategic areas for material development:
- Sustainable materials that can meet global environmental regulations,
- Innovative materials that will lead mobility advancements, and
- Digital materials enabled through virtual verification methods.
Developing Sustainable Materials: Recycling plastics and creating bio-based materials
Hyundai Mobis’ sustainable materials involve recycling resources or utilizing bio-based materials.
Recycled materials are primarily used in plastic components. Hyundai Mobis produces regenerated materials by recovering recyclable parts from household waste or end-of-life vehicles, processing them, and adding additives.
Using this approach, Hyundai Mobis successfully developed a protective cover for the lower arm of a vehicle's underbody. Despite containing 50% recycled plastic, the product retains the same physical properties as conventional materials. The European Union is currently moving towards legislation that will mandate the use of 25% recycled materials in plastics for new cars starting in 2030. Hyundai Mobis states that it has surpassed this standard by six years, achieving a material content twice the required threshold.
Additionally, it is developing over 30 types of new materials that can be applied to components that extensively use plastics, such as cockpit modules, lamps, and airbags. In the eco-friendly bio sector, the company is also focusing on developing materials that utilize wood to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while enhancing weather resistance (properties that prevent discoloration or decomposition under heat or UV light).
Developing innovative materials that reduce the use of rare metals
Hyundai Mobis is transitioning its portfolio towards high-value-added products centered on electrification and electronic components. It is accelerating the development of new materials that use fewer rare metals like nickel while enhancing performance.
Recently, it has developed a new material that reduces the use of expensive nickel metal in inductors, a key component in power conversion for electric vehicles. Inductors are typically made from metal powders mixed with nickel. Hyundai Mobis successfully reduced the nickel content from the previous 50% to the 30% range. Amid a sixfold increase in nickel prices over the past decade, this new material minimizes raw material price volatility while ensuring electromagnetic properties.
Furthermore, Hyundai Mobis has embarked on evaluating a new material that is completely 'nickel-free', the first of its kind globally. The company is also focused on developing new materials to enhance competitiveness across all electrification and electronic components fields, including high-speed charging battery cooling technology, electromagnetic shielding materials, and surface coating technologies for autonomous driving sensors.
Transitioning automotive material technologies to digital
Hyundai Mobis also invests heavily in digital materials technology, integrating IT into traditional material fields. The company improves alignment by virtually simulating and predicting the diverse material characteristics required in automotive components.
Moreover, artificial intelligence is being utilized to explore new materials. By quantifying existing data, Hyundai Mobis automatically determines material properties, potentially leading to groundbreaking changes in material development through an information platform based on material technology.
Notably, the company has over 100 research and development professionals in materials science to strengthen its capabilities in new material development, and also actively recruits experts from various fields as R&D expands into digital materials.