Hyundai Motor Group, LG Energy Solution, Wonik PNE to test UBESS made from used EV batteries

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia announced Thursday that they are teaming up with LG Energy Solution, Hyundai Engineering and Wonik PNE to launch a pilot project for a Used Battery Energy Storage System, or UBESS, which repurposes used electric vehicle batteries as energy storage devices.

The five companies — Hyundai Motor, Kia, LG Energy Solution, Hyundai Engineering and Wonik PNE — held a ceremony that day at Wonik PNE's Dongtan plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, to mark the start of their cooperation on the UBESS pilot using used EV batteries.

Officials from each company attended the event to celebrate the partnership and discuss ways to flesh out their cooperation, including Hwang Woong-tae, head of the EV energy strategy office at Hyundai Motor and Kia; Joo Seung-tak, who leads the EaaS business at LG Energy Solution's ESS division; Lee Sang-hoon, head of the asset planning office at Hyundai Engineering; and Kim Chul-ho, head of the development and production division at Wonik PNE's charger business unit.

The pilot marks the first domestic case of using battery packs retired from Hyundai Motor and Kia's dedicated EV platform, the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). The test facility was built as a 200-kilowatt-hour UBESS system. Notably, the system is linked to EV fast chargers, storing electricity during off-peak hours when rates are low. It then uses that stored power to charge electric vehicles through fast chargers during peak hours when rates are higher.

Hyundai Motor and Kia will work on technology verification and business model development to build a system that can safely and efficiently make use of retired batteries. LG Energy Solution will manufacture the UBESS units using used battery packs supplied by Hyundai Motor and Kia, while also supporting verification of the system's performance and safety based on its battery diagnostics and operational technology capabilities.

In addition, Hyundai Engineering will draw on its experience operating EV charging infrastructure to examine the project's viability in a real business setting and its connection to EV charging infrastructure supply projects. Wonik PNE will be responsible for stable facility operation and technology verification, leveraging its EV charger manufacturing technology and infrastructure development capabilities.

Drawing on each company's expertise, the participants plan to comprehensively verify the charge-discharge control algorithm, system safety and reliability, battery performance retention characteristics, and charging service quality and operational efficiency. Through this, they aim to test the feasibility of reusing retired batteries and realizing a battery circular economy in an actual business environment.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor and Kia have recently been expanding efforts to reach global customers. They opened a user experience research hub called UX Studio Shanghai in the Jing'an district of Shanghai, China. The companies have also been active in corporate social responsibility efforts across various fields. This includes donating two electric patrol vehicles to support safe policing activities for the Korean community in Chile.