Car Chat General discussion about Lexus, other auto manufacturers and automotive news.

Hyundai shuts down main ICE development center

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 12-24-21, 05:38 AM
  #1  
bitkahuna
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
iTrader: (20)
 
bitkahuna's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Present
Posts: 74,821
Received 2,424 Likes on 1,588 Posts
Default Hyundai shuts down main ICE development center

Wow, this is bold.

Excerpt:
Hyundai Motor Group has abruptly abolished the Engine Development Center at its R&D Headquarters. It has officially declared its policy not to release new models powered by internal combustion engines anymore.

The group carried out the largest-ever reorganization of its R&D headquarters on Dec. 17. The Namyang Research Institute has 12,000 R&D personnel and is a key organization that serves as the brain of Hyundai Motor Group.

The group has transformed its Powertrain Team into the Electrification Development Team, an organization dedicated to R&D for electric vehicles. The Engine Development Center was completely shut down and all powertrain-related centers were converted to electrification-related units. At the same time, the automaker decided to focus on securing battery technology by establishing the Battery Development Center.
https://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news...ml?idxno=84657
bitkahuna is offline  
Old 12-24-21, 06:25 AM
  #2  
GFerg
Speaks French in Russian

 
GFerg's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: What is G?
Posts: 13,285
Received 64 Likes on 49 Posts
Default

Damn! They are all in. Last generation of their ICE engines.
GFerg is offline  
Old 12-24-21, 06:37 AM
  #3  
SLegacy99
Lead Lap
 
SLegacy99's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: MD
Posts: 4,511
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Wow. That is a bold move. I hope that they have the battery production to accommodate an EV lineup.
SLegacy99 is offline  
Old 12-24-21, 06:45 AM
  #4  
ninetwo
Pit Crew
 
ninetwo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2021
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 141
Received 39 Likes on 21 Posts
Default

We all remember how Korea's cars hit the scene in America. Lets see how they do it the second time. I predict junk.
ninetwo is offline  
Old 12-24-21, 07:07 AM
  #5  
bitkahuna
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
iTrader: (20)
 
bitkahuna's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Present
Posts: 74,821
Received 2,424 Likes on 1,588 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by SLegacy99
Wow. That is a bold move. I hope that they have the battery production to accommodate an EV lineup.
Being in SK they have good ties to domestic battery maker LG.

Originally Posted by ninetwo
We all remember how Korea's cars hit the scene in America. Lets see how they do it the second time. I predict junk.
Now that's funny. yes, their early products were bad. So were Honda's by the way. But they now they get to leverage all they've learned, and they're no longer new to cars or even EVs. The new EVs are getting rave reviews. I think 'junk' is unlikely.

bitkahuna is offline  
Old 12-24-21, 08:41 AM
  #6  
Bob04
Lead Lap
 
Bob04's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: SC
Posts: 3,612
Received 254 Likes on 183 Posts
Default

The reasoning isn't probably what people think. A lot of engine development is driven by efficiency in order to meet gov regulations. No need to do that anymore if you are going to selling more EVs to offset the current emissions from ICE. They probably consider the efficiency of the current engines good enough. Then, regulations will probably tighten, forced automakers to push all models to EV instead of ICE. I doubt there will be an outright ban on ICE engines, but the gov will manipulate the market to make ICE financially unappealing to everyone but the rich.

I predict it will be a mess. As EVs become more popular, supply demand should kill gasoline prices and spike electricity prices. People will be furious when they realize they are now paying high prices for electricity to fuel cars, and that cost has now bled over into running their homes. The rest that didn't go EV will realize that gasoline prices are artificially inflated by the gov to prevent people from returning to ICE as electricity prices spike and they will be just as furious. In the end, everybody will pay more, and nobody will likely be happy, which is par for the course when the market isn't allow to sort itself out.
Bob04 is online now  
Old 12-24-21, 09:00 AM
  #7  
EZZ
Lexus Test Driver
 
EZZ's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: CA
Posts: 7,460
Received 228 Likes on 171 Posts
Default

It's more nuanced than that. The grid can handle more EVs simply because the times that EVs charge aren't during peak demand. It would take quite a number of EVs to get to electricity usage equal to peak demand during the day. California with issues during the day has no issues charging EVs at night. Not even close and it's around 9% penetration of EVs. Grid has plenty of time to adapt (as they are all upgrading now) so I don't really believe the doom and gloom scenarios. Let's see what happens.
EZZ is offline  
Old 12-24-21, 09:15 AM
  #8  
bitkahuna
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
iTrader: (20)
 
bitkahuna's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Present
Posts: 74,821
Received 2,424 Likes on 1,588 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Bob04
The reasoning isn't probably what people think. A lot of engine development is driven by efficiency in order to meet gov regulations. No need to do that anymore if you are going to selling more EVs to offset the current emissions from ICE. They probably consider the efficiency of the current engines good enough. Then, regulations will probably tighten, forced automakers to push all models to EV instead of ICE. I doubt there will be an outright ban on ICE engines, but the gov will manipulate the market to make ICE financially unappealing to everyone but the rich.

I predict it will be a mess. As EVs become more popular, supply demand should kill gasoline prices and spike electricity prices. People will be furious when they realize they are now paying high prices for electricity to fuel cars, and that cost has now bled over into running their homes. The rest that didn't go EV will realize that gasoline prices are artificially inflated by the gov to prevent people from returning to ICE as electricity prices spike and they will be just as furious. In the end, everybody will pay more, and nobody will likely be happy, which is par for the course when the market isn't allow to sort itself out.
i think your predictions are correct, in particular that it will be a mess.
bitkahuna is offline  
Old 12-24-21, 10:16 AM
  #9  
bitkahuna
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
iTrader: (20)
 
bitkahuna's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Present
Posts: 74,821
Received 2,424 Likes on 1,588 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by EZZ
It's more nuanced than that. The grid can handle more EVs simply because the times that EVs charge aren't during peak demand. It would take quite a number of EVs to get to electricity usage equal to peak demand during the day. California with issues during the day has no issues charging EVs at night. Not even close and it's around 9% penetration of EVs. Grid has plenty of time to adapt (as they are all upgrading now) so I don't really believe the doom and gloom scenarios. Let's see what happens.
i don't think bob said anything about the grid not being able to handle lots more EVs.

but i think bob is exactly right that EVs are being heavily pushed / subsidized / and regulated into dominance. Car makers have no choice but to go with it. Hyundai doesn't want to be behind (like toyota).
bitkahuna is offline  
Old 12-24-21, 10:49 AM
  #10  
LeX2K
Lexus Fanatic
 
LeX2K's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Alberta
Posts: 20,076
Received 2,897 Likes on 2,446 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by bitkahuna
but i think bob is exactly right that EVs are being heavily pushed / subsidized / and regulated into dominance.
Which car companies are being heavily subsidized? And how much?
LeX2K is offline  
Old 12-24-21, 11:06 AM
  #11  
Allen K
-0----0-

iTrader: (4)
 
Allen K's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: NJ
Posts: 9,445
Received 750 Likes on 520 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by bitkahuna
i don't think bob said anything about the grid not being able to handle lots more EVs.

but i think bob is exactly right that EVs are being heavily pushed / subsidized / and regulated into dominance. Car makers have no choice but to go with it. Hyundai doesn't want to be behind (like toyota).
The oil and gas industry has been subsidized for decades in the US so it's not like green tech is the only industry being subsidized.
Allen K is offline  
Old 12-24-21, 11:28 AM
  #12  
mmarshall
Lexus Fanatic
 
mmarshall's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Posts: 91,206
Received 87 Likes on 86 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Bob04
I predict it will be a mess. As EVs become more popular, supply demand should kill gasoline prices and spike electricity prices. People will be furious when they realize they are now paying high prices for electricity to fuel cars, and that cost has now bled over into running their homes. The rest that didn't go EV will realize that gasoline prices are artificially inflated by the gov to prevent people from returning to ICE as electricity prices spike and they will be just as furious. In the end, everybody will pay more, and nobody will likely be happy, which is par for the course when the market isn't allow to sort itself out.
What's going to happen is that there will be a huge public reaction at the polls, but that's probably something that we can't discuss in detail because of political restrictions.
mmarshall is offline  
Old 12-24-21, 01:27 PM
  #13  
Bob04
Lead Lap
 
Bob04's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: SC
Posts: 3,612
Received 254 Likes on 183 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Allen K
The oil and gas industry has been subsidized for decades in the US so it's not like green tech is the only industry being subsidized.
Well, in some cases that is true, but a lot of what people like to call subsidies were really just tax deductions and credits that were available to any business.

Also, the situation was different. Oil wasn't being pushed on people. The entire economy was starving for oil, and it was needed in almost every sector. . We were and still are an oil based economy, and the investment wasn't being done to the detriment of any other industry. There was no other viable option. And public support was overwhelmingly in agreement.

This is different.
Bob04 is online now  
Old 12-24-21, 08:22 PM
  #14  
bitkahuna
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
iTrader: (20)
 
bitkahuna's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Present
Posts: 74,821
Received 2,424 Likes on 1,588 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by LeX2K
Which car companies are being heavily subsidized? And how much?
the federal and state tax credits to CONSUMERS are subsidies making EVs cheaper to buy than they otherwise would be. This is specifically to encourage consumers to choose EVs over ICE vehicles.

bitkahuna is offline  
Old 12-24-21, 11:32 PM
  #15  
swajames
Pole Position
 
swajames's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Posts: 2,482
Received 666 Likes on 416 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Bob04
Well, in some cases that is true, but a lot of what people like to call subsidies were really just tax deductions and credits that were available to any business.
There are many examples of artificially accelerated credits which are highly specific to the oil industry, for example artificially accelerating deductions for intangible drilling costs. Generally speaking, other industries have to amortize the deductions over the useful life of the asset.
swajames is online now  


Quick Reply: Hyundai shuts down main ICE development center



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 09:23 PM.