(Photo by Namyangju Fire Station)
We hope that Hyundai Motor and LG Chem will actively cooperate with the National Assembly to find out the cause of the fire accident of the Kona electric car and take fundamental solutions such as battery replacement. Another Kona electric car fire accident occurred today in Namyangju. It is already the 16th fire accident that occurred in about a year, both domestically and internationally. Kona electric cars have been sold 25,000 units in Korea alone. In other words, 25,000 time bombs are running on the road. Hyundai Motor’s recall of the Kona electric car began yesterday. However, it is questionable whether the action is appropriate. Hyundai Motor’s recall is said to be an update to the BMS, which is more sensitive than the existing BMS and detects battery abnormalities. However, this is not the first time that the company has updated the BMS. Before this action, we had updated the BMS with free repairs. However, there were also three fire accidents in the vehicles that were taken action. I want to ask Hyundai Motor. Will there be no more Kona electric car fire accidents when the recall action is completed? Well, wouldn’t we have said this when we first updated the BMS free of charge? Hyundai Motor and LG Chem are delaying the fundamental solution by delaying each other’s responsibility. They are confusing the people by blaming each other, saying, “It’s a problem with battery cells, it’s a problem with battery module process, it’s a problem with battery packs.” We ask Hyundai Motor and LG Chem. We hope that the two companies will no longer be mired in responsibility and actively cooperate in finding out the cause. Even if we can’t find out the cause, we hope that you will come to the National Assembly and reveal in detail what has been found so far in front of the public. That is the only way to relieve the public’s anxiety. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport should also come forward as soon as possible to find out the cause of the fire in the Kona electric car. The manufacturing defect investigation alone takes more than a year. For that reason, it refers to the development of vehicle manufacturing technology and the lack of manpower in the manufacturing defect investigation. However, the fact that the referee does not know the rules of the game more than the player is not something to be understood, but something to be ashamed of. The BMW fire accident was announced in five months the result of the manufacturing defect investigation. A joint private sector investigation team was also formed. We should keep in mind that the attitude of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport can be seen as a discriminatory attitude between domestic and overseas vehicles, and between domestic and overseas manufacturers.
