The Korea Herald

지나쌤

(EV Expo) Carmakers showcase green tech at EV expo

By Shin Ji-hye

Published : March 18, 2016 - 16:23

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(Yonhap) (Yonhap)
JEJUDO ISLAND -- More than 140 electric car and parts makers gathered on Jejudo Island to showcase their latest green auto technologies.

Global carmakers including Hyundai Motor, Renault Samsung Motors, BMW and Nissan are set to join the 3rd International Electric Vehicle Expo, which began on Friday for a seven-day run.

The nation’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor unveiled its new electric vehicle Ioniq Electric. It is the latest model of Hyundai‘s Ioniq, which was first revealed at the Geneva Auto Show earlier this month.

Renault Samsung Motors, which ranked No. 1 in the local EV market last year, showcased its marquee EV SM3 Z.E., along with Twizy, its ultracompact four-wheel electric vehicle.

On Thursday, Renault Samsung had wowed local residents with its electric race car Renault SRT 01E during a racing exhibition held in a downtown area on the island.

Other vehicles, including Nissan‘s compact five-door hatchback electric car Leaf, BMW’s five-door urban electric car i3 and Kia’s Soul EV, are also to be on display.

At the expo’s opening ceremony, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Gov. Won Hee-ryong said he would work hard to help foster the EV market in partnership with the car companies and the government.

“We will work together with automakers and government officials to address the challenges that electric vehicles face, such as high costs and lack of charging infrastructure,“ Won said.

On the event sidelines, auto executives got together at an EV CEO Summit where they discussed the latest trends in green cars and future visions for the industry. Renault‘s vice president Gilles Normand, BYD’s Asia Pacific head Liu Xueliang and Detroit Electric CEO Albert Lam joined the conference.

The organizing committee’s chairman Kim Dae-hwan said the summit would be co-organized with the World Economic Forum at next year’s expo.

By Shin Ji-hye
(shinjh@heraldcorp.com)