Gov’t asks automakers to voluntarily disclose EV battery brand info

The government will recommend automakers voluntarily disclose the battery brand information of all electric vehicles sold in South Korea, the Office for Government Policy Coordination (OPC) said Tuesday. The decision was made at a vice-ministerial meeting of EV-related ministries and agencies, the OPC said, amid growing public concern about EV fires following recent blazes involving some electric cars. On Aug. 1, an imported EV exploded in an apartment underground parking lot in Incheon, 33 kilometers west of Seoul, burning or damaging about 140 cars. Days later, a fire broke out in a parked EV in Geumsan, 166 km south of Seoul. At present, the disclosure of EV battery brand information is not mandatory but a number of automakers, such as Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors and Mercedes-Benz Korea, have voluntarily released the brand information of their EV batteries over the past week. Source: Yonhap News Agency