Hyundai Motor opens innovation center in Silicon Valley

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Sat, September 23, 2023 | 07:54

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Hyundai Motor opens innovation center in Silicon Valley

Posted : 2017-11-15 16:39

Updated : 2017-11-15 20:10

Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Yang Woong-chul, left, poses with Michelin Chief Operating Officer Florent Menegaux, after signing a cooperation agreement to jointly develop tires for electric cars, at the French tiremaker's research institute in Clermont-Ferrand. / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor

Hyundai to develop EV tires with Michelin

By Lee Hyo-sik

Hyundai Motor has set up an open innovation center in Silicon Valley to further strengthen its knowhow and expertise in autonomous driving, connected cars, artificial intelligence (AI) and other newly emerging innovative technologies.

Korea's largest carmaker has also signed an agreement with French tiremaker Michelin to jointly develop tires for its electric vehicles.

The company said Wednesday it has expanded its previous Silicon Valley office into the "Hyundai Cradle," the name for its U.S. open innovation center, to lead a campaign of securing a competitive edge on a broad range of future car technologies.

The Hyundai Cradle will support startups in the area and help Korean technology companies make inroads into the U.S., Hyundai Motor officials said. The carmaker has already established facilities like this in Korea, China and Israel.

"Silicon Valley is home to many of the world's most innovative companies. We expect the Hyundai Cradle to enable us to develop and secure state-of-the-art technologies in AI, future mobility, self-driving, robotics and other emerging fields," a company official said. "We will invest in or work together with many U.S. startups to develop new technologies and business models that can change the industrial landscape."

The official said the carmaker will nurture the facility as a role model for similar facilities in other parts of the world. "We will bring the U.S. center's knowhow and expertise to other innovation centers. We expect to write a number of success stories in Silicon Valley, while working with other entities in an open business format."

Hyundai Motor also said it signed a cooperation agreement with Michelin to develop all-season tires for electric vehicles.
In addition, both companies plan to work together to introduce high-performance tires for premium Genesis brand cars and bolster exchanges of research personnel.

"We will join forces with Michelin to develop tires for our next-generation electric vehicles that will debut after 2020," the official said. "Both companies will work together from the beginning. The envisioned four-season tires will significantly boost the fuel mileage, handling and driving performance of electric cars."

The two companies will also start a development project for Genesis brand cars.

"Some of our tire designers and researchers will be dispatched to Michelin and learn about its working process. We will also host Michelin employees and share our vehicle development schemes with them. This way, both companies can introduce world-class tires for future electric cars in a faster and more cost-effective manner," he said.

In June 2016, Hyundai introduced its all-electric Ioniq, which can travel 191 kilometers on a single charge and gets the equivalent of 136 miles per gallon. It plans to introduce an electric version of the Kona subcompact SUV in early 2018.

leehs@ktimes.com