Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) is scheduled to participate in the 26th International Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exposition (EVS 26), the global electric transportation industry's premier and largest forum.
KERI will unveil its state-of-the-art EV technologies at the upcoming international exhibition, conjointly partaken in by a plethora of global EV manufacturers.
Kim Ho-yong, President of KERI, said KERI would attend the 26th International Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exposition (EVS 26), slated to be held on May 6 - 9, 2012 at the Los Angeles Convention Center ( LACC).
The International Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exposition (EVS) series, organized by the World Electric Vehicle Association (WEVA), is recognized as the premier event for academic, government and industry professionals involved in electric drive technologies. The EVS, now in its 26th year, rotates its meeting venues among the US, the EU and the Asia Pacific Region.
The EVS’s175 participating companies include globally leading EV manufacturers, EV part suppliers developing cutting-edge EV technologies, and world-renowned research centers. The EVS 26 will feature numerous displays of the latest products, a series of presentations on R&D achievements, exhibitions and test drive opportunities.
KERI is poised to introduce its EV-related R&D capabilities and set forth its EV business vision at the EVS 26. On the second day of the event, KERI will put its prototypes on display and deliver presentations regarding its EV-related R&D activities such as EV monitoring, charging infrastructure, chargers, secondary batteries, power trains, traction motor/drive devices and traction motor/drive systems.
KERI is set to vigorously promote its R&D achievements related to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, secondary batteries and monitoring systems.
KERI’s presentations at EVS26 will also cover KERI’s ongoing EV projects (smart grids and EV monitoring) in Jeju Island and Changwon in Korea, and its R&D results on highly efficient, high-speed and standard chargers, which are the key to boosting EV ownership. As a matter of fact, KERI has already successfully developed high-speed chargers: 20 kWh batteries that promise fully-charged EVs in 17 minutes and 16kWh batteries, which offer a charge differential of 10% to 90% in a mere 14 minutes.
Do-Hyun Kang, the head of Electric Propulsion Research Division, said, “KERI has undertaken EV research activities since 1988 to live up to new industrial demands for less CO2 emissions and energy conservation. In 1993, KERI became the first Korean company to develop and successfully test drive Korea’s first-ever EV. As a result, KERI has accumulated a multitude of EV-related technologies ranging from key components (secondary batteries) to motors and charging infrastructure testers.” “In a situation where the EV industry gets the hottest attention in the global auto industry, and with assistance from the government and industry leaders, our participation in the EVS 26 will serve as a great opportunity to impress overseas experts with KERI’s EV-related R&D prowess and business initiatives,” he added.
On the domestic front, KERI clearly found favor with foreign delegations at the 2012 IAEC (International Association of Educating Cities) in Changwon, which was held on April 25 through 29. At the event, KERI showcased its EV charging stands, high-speed chargers, portable power-generating systems, EV motors and new cathode materials for secondary batteries.
KERI’s EV development and its history
KERI, which embarked on the development of EV technologies in 1988, has obtained three key EV technologies: secondary batteries, high-speed charging and discharging systems and control systems. At the 1993 Daejeon World Expo, Korea’s first EV, developed by KERI, was successfully test-driven and shown off by shuttling EXPO attendes back and forth. Since then, KERI has successfully developed an array of EV technologies including EV light-weight motors and control devices (from 1993-1995), multi-gate motor system control technology (from 1996-1998), and in-wheel motors and controllers for EVs (from 1997-1998). Backed by its hard-earned EV technologies, KERI has stayed at the forefront of the EV industry: it hosted a symposium on EV technology development and industrialization on November 3, 2009 in a bid to promote EV technology development and speed up the commercialization of EVs. On top of this, KERI signed an EV joint R&D cooperation pact with the Korea Transport Institute on April 14, 2010.
EV R&D Tasks and Current Situation
Amid a growing interest in EVs domestically and globally, KERI has diligently worked on upgrading key EV technologies, played a leading role in building EV infrastructure and preemptively setting standards by running in-house test beds for EV charging infrastructures. KERI’s Electric Propulsion Research Division has been focused on developing key components such as motors, inverters, EV power converters, batteries and high-speed chargers and charging infrastructures linked to power supply systems.
In particular, KERI has already commenced the development of four-wheeled, vertical-axis EVs that run without a transmission and gear, the essential parts of internal combustion engine-powered vehicles. Furthermore, KERI’s efforts for enhancing the energy density of lithium batteries as well as developing new batteries and key technologies for better EV infrastructure, such as charging systems, are expected to bear fruit in the foreseeable future, thereby enhancing EV ownership.
Also in the pipeline of KERI are varied EV services and R&D projects – for example, a project designed to test and certify EV chargers and various high-voltage parts. In the long term, KERI is committed to developing system operation technologies for EV driving linked to smart grids, as well as conducting studies on diverse EV policies and charging fees.
As for EV charging infrastructure, KERI has already taken a step ahead of ahead of the competition by developing a high-speed charger for Korean-made EVs that cuts the charging time (which was generally 30 minutes in 2011) by up to 50%. Since then KERI transferred the technology to Korea Display System (KODI-S), a Korean company engaged in designing LCD probe units and EV rapid chargers, which then succeeded in commercializing the technology. Thanks to this technology, small-sized vehicles can completely recharge in just 14 minutes. Along with a reduced charging time, EVs will be equipped with a built-in smart electricity calculator in preparation for flexible fee systems.
On top of that, under the smart grid-linked EV monitoring project initiated by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy of Korea, KERI is carrying out a pilot project in Gyeongsangnam-do, (a province in the southeast of South Korea) to comprehensively study EV driving environments from the perspective of drivers themselves. The smart grid-linked EV monitoring project, which covers Changwon and cities and counties within a 30 km radius of Gyeongsangnam-do, aims to discover obstacles to EV popularization by installing EV charging infrastructure and operating electric-powered trucks and EVs in real world settings.
Moreover, taking advantage of its geographically location, KERI, based in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, is expanding its local projects in collaboration with Changwon and Gyeongsangnam-do. For instance, KERI is pressing ahead with a local project aimed at fostering local suppliers of EV key components in order to set up mutually-reinforcing supply chains, whereby local companies directly participate in EV production processes ranging from the production of parts to finished goods. In the end, locally-manufactured EVs will roam around Changwon City and Gyeongsangnam-do. In other words, this project envisions a mutually-reinforcing supply chain whereby local companies receive support for innovatively creating and providing key EV components and companies specializing in assembling parts and producing finished goods will concurrently be nurtured.
Aside from developing EV-related R&D efforts, KERI researchers are also busy working on the EV standard-setting initiative, led by Korea Smart Grid Association (KSGA). Chief researcher Dae-Kyung Kim has assumed the position of smart grid standard coordinator while researcher Hong-Je Rue and researcher Sang-Pil Ahn are working as project leaders (PL) at the direct current (DC) charging division and the DC connector division respectively.
Researchers Hong-Gwan Son and Jong-Sue Kim are engaged in alternating current (AC) charging and communications protocol areas. In addition, researchers Geun-Hee Lim and Eon-Seok Kim are on the Technical Committee 69 (TC69) of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Indeed, KERI researchers are playing a pivotal role in drawing up standards for a substantial variety of EVs.
