Cars crashed on purpose as battery dangers hit headlines

“We run about 650 crash tests a year on average here,” said Baek Chang-in, head of the integrated safety performance development division of Hyundai Motor.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 crashes into a barrier at the carmaker's Namyang R&D Center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, during a crash test, Thursday. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

HWASEONG, Gyeonggi - With a loud bang, an Ioniq 5 plows into a metal barrier.

While a wisp of smoke wafts up from the half-destroyed hoot, carmaker personnel rushed in to assess the damage done to the smashed vehicle and the crash-test dummy in the driver's seat.

“We run about 650 crash tests a year on average here,” said Baek Chang-in, head of the integrated safety performance development division of Hyundai Motor.

The crash test took place at a safety performance test zone at Hyundai Motor’s Namyang R&D Center, located in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi. Its crash test site measures 2,900 square meters (0.7 acres).

On a recent day, journalists were invited to watch a turquoise all-electric Ioniq 5 sports utility vehicle (SUV) smash head-first into an obstacle after a short countdown.

The Ioniq 5 crashed into a protruding barrier attached to a 100-ton test block at the speed of 64 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour). The condition was the same as that of the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety(IIHS)’s moderate overlap frontal test.

About 40 percent of the hood was destroyed after the crash, and debris from the broken bumper was scattered on the floor. The front window was cracked by not shattered.

Half of an Ioniq 5 SUV's hood is crushed after a crash test. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Inside the car was an average-sized dummy in the driver’s seat and a smaller dummy in the back seat.

Hyundai runs about 100 crash tests for each car model during the development process, as well as virtual simulations. The carmaker said that it spends about 10 billion won ($8 million) for each car model for safety performance development.

“We develop around 10 cars a year and verify the crash safety performance through virtual collision simulations, which we run more than 100 times a day and 30,000 times a year,” explained Baek.

According to the carmaker, Hyundai and Kia's EV models — Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Genesis GV60 — earned the highest safety rating of Top Safety Pick Plus(TSP+) from IIHS last year.

Hyundai and Kia combined, Hyundai Motor Group has the second-highest number of cars with the TSP+ or TSP marks with 26, following Volkswagen’s 27.

Many factors play a role in determining the crash safety of an EV. And the battery is a crucial part of it.

Safety concerns have been at the center of skepticism toward electric cars, especially as of late in Korea. As dramatic EV fires have hit the headlines recently, the risk of battery fire remains one of the biggest concerns for EV owners.

On Jan. 10, a Tesla Model Y exploded on a highway in Sejong after the vehicle hit a guardrail and crashed into an oncoming SUV. The driver was pulled from the car moments before the explosion and was sent to a hospital.

The fire department is investigating the cause of the fire but tentatively suspects the battery ignition as the cause.

Dummies are displayed at Hyundai Motor's Namyang R&D Center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, Thursday. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

The incident came just two days after another Tesla caught on fire at a service center in Seoul.

In the latter half of last year, two fire incidents involving Ioniq 5s were reported. An Ioniq was engulfed in fire in only a few seconds after crashing into a building in December in North Gyeongsang, and another one caught fire while charging on Jeju Island in August.

Lithium-ion battery fires are particularly hard to extinguish and spread quickly.

When asked about Hyundai Motor's plan to enhance battery safety, Seo Jeong-hoon, head of a battery design team, explained that Hyundai is working to "improve integration between battery packs and the car body, and develop next-generation solid-state batteries.”

Baek added that battery fire often occurs when the vehicle is driving fast.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]