KGM Mobility announced on the 6th that it has completed the development of vehicle software compatible with the smart chargers (fire prevention chargers) being promoted by the government as part of measures to prevent electric vehicle fires and has begun compatibility testing with smart charger manufacturers.
As a technical solution for preventing fire in electric vehicles, the Ministry of Environment is establishing technical standards for smart chargers (fire prevention chargers), which will be distributed starting this year. The government has also recently announced a plan to expand distribution to 90,000 units next year as part of its fire prevention measures.
The background of the Ministry of Environment’s smart charger distribution is to establish a charging infrastructure that can detect and control battery thermal runaway, which is a significant cause of public anxiety regarding electric vehicle fires.
Smart chargers are devices that collect battery state information at regular intervals during charging and transmit that information to a battery data management system, as well as receive control information for battery charging to manage electric vehicle charging.
- Battery state information: Vehicle VIN, SOC, SOH, Battery Pack ID, Battery Pack Current, Battery Pack Voltage, Battery Module Temperature
Data collected through smart chargers is transmitted to the server of the charging service provider using OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol) and then sent to the Ministry of Environment’s battery big data center. This data will be used to predict electric vehicle fires through specialized diagnostic service technology, and control commands will be sent to the chargers to perform fire prevention functions.
KGM has actively cooperated with the Ministry of Environment’s policies to expand electric vehicle distribution and prevent fires. In 2023, it became the first domestic electric vehicle manufacturer to agree to provide electric vehicle battery status information, and in collaboration with the Korea Electric Research Institute, completed the development of BMS and EV communication controller software capable of providing battery information by the end of July 2024. KGM is also conducting direct visits to manufacturers of smart chargers across the country to carry out compatibility testing.
The currently marketed Torres EVX was developed with a focus on fire safety, having undergone extreme battery safety testing (penetration, compression, heating, overcharging, thermal runaway, and impact). It boasts the only 10-year/1 million km battery warranty in the country, emphasizing its safety and durability as an electric vehicle.
The battery cells used in the Torres EVX produce significantly low gas emissions during thermal runaway situations and feature a valve that discharges the generated gases, providing a substantial advantage in preventing battery fires.
The battery cells used in KGM have a higher capacity, resulting in a minimized number of cells (122) per pack, which has greatly reduced the potential for thermal runaway-related fires due to cell defects.
The safety of the Torres EVX was validated by a case last December in which a fire, presumed to have started in the front part of a passenger vehicle during a rear-end collision on the riverside road in the Buk-gu region of Busan, spread to the Torres EVX. Despite the vehicle being completely burned, the LFP battery installed in the Torres EVX did not experience thermal runaway or damage from strong external impacts or high-temperature fires.
A KGM representative stated, “The implementation of compatibility testing for smart charger manufacturers is based on our vision of providing safe and enjoyable mobility experiences as a practical and creative product. We have been advancing electric vehicle and battery development with safety as our top priority, and through KGM’s customer safety-centric development direction, we will do our utmost to enhance electric vehicle safety and alleviate public anxiety about electric vehicles.”
Jin Sang-Il daedusj@autodiary.kr