South Korea Establishes Consortium for Electric Vehicle Development

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South Korea has decided to give a go at creating a consortium on electric vehicles.

The consortium will consist of governmental institutions, automakers, and battery manufacturers.  The group will be united in an effort to qork together to develop electric vehicles in the near future.  South Korea is already a major player in the electric vehicle segment and looks to strengthen their overall position.

The Ministry of Environment and the Environmental Management Corporation of Korea recently held a meeting with automakers, government officials, battery producers, and electricity supplies to discuss the future of electric vehicle within the county.  Present at the meeting were Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, Renault Samsung, GM Daewoo, SK Energy, Sk Network and the Korea Electric Power Corporation.

The consortium will reconvene in July or August of this year to share information related to electric vehicles including any ongoing projects, technological advancements, and infrastructure ideas.

South Korea is noted as being a strong player in the electric vehicle segment with several EV debuts expected in the next few years.  Hyundai will debut its Blue-Will in 2012, Renault Samsung plans to have an EV on the road by 2011, and LG Chem is one of the leading battery manufacturers in the entire world.

The country hopes that the consortium and combined group effort will lead to further advances in EV technology and more road-going vehicles in the near future.

Source:  The Chosun Ilbo