[TECH Weekly] The Thermal Control Brain That Boosts EV Range and Battery Efficiency: Hyundai Wia, a Powerhouse in Integrated Thermal Management (ITMS) Platforms
TECHWORLD ·
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As competition in the electric vehicle market shifts from expanding battery capacity to improving energy efficiency and preserving driving range in winter, the importance of thermal management systems is growing.
Hyundai Wia is pursuing a transition into an electrified parts company based on ITMS, which integrates thermal control for batteries, motors, electrical components, and cabin HVAC, and mobility process automation solutions.
Hyundai Wia became the first in South Korea to mass-produce an integrated coolant distribution and supply module dedicated to EVs, and it has finalized plans to supply ITMS to Kia's PV5 and major next-generation EV lineups.
As competition in the electric vehicle market shifts from expanding battery capacity to improving energy efficiency and preserving driving range in winter, the need for integrated control of multiple heat sources inside vehicles is growing, and the importance of thermal management systems is rising rapidly.
Against this backdrop, Hyundai Wia is aiming to maximize EV energy efficiency by integrating thermal control for batteries, motors, electrical components, and cabin HVAC. Hyundai Wia is a global company leading the electrified parts ecosystem with proprietary Integrated Thermal Management System (ITMS) technology and mobility process automation solutions.
Hyundai Wia is a core parts company within the Hyundai Motor Group, and it is pursuing a transition from a traditional machinery and engine parts maker to an eco-friendly electrification and thermal management company.
Founded in 1976, Hyundai Wia is a comprehensive machinery and automotive parts company specializing in precision powertrain components such as core Hyundai Motor Group engines, transmissions, and constant velocity joints, as well as high-performance machine tools. Hyundai Wia has built its growth on the localization of core parts and machine tools.
In the process, Hyundai Wia accumulated machining expertise for internal combustion engine core components and developed know-how in hydraulics, thermal control, and precision machinery technologies. Based on this, Hyundai Wia has been aggressively pursuing an early transition into a next-generation electrification parts and thermal management specialist.
This business restructuring has been carried out on the back of years of preemptive R&D investment. As a result, Hyundai Wia became the first in South Korea to succeed in mass production of an integrated coolant distribution and supply module dedicated to EVs, and it also completed a next-generation Integrated Thermal Management System (ITMS) capable of integrated thermal response for batteries, drive motors, and cabin HVAC.
Hyundai Wia has finalized plans to supply ITMS to Kia's purpose-built vehicle (PBV) PV5 and to major next-generation EV lineups. As a result, Hyundai Wia has established itself as a key technology partner in the global electrification thermal management ecosystem, moving beyond its roots as a traditional engine parts maker.
Hyundai Wia's key technological weapons are the Integrated Thermal Management System (ITMS, Integrated Thermal Management System) and its thermal management module architecture. ITMS combines the dispersed heat sources inside an EV into a single infrastructure, with batteries, motors, and cabin HVAC as the integrated targets.
In conventional first-generation EV architectures, the battery cooling circuit was laid out separately, and the drive motor and electrical component cooling circuits were also laid out separately. The cabin heating and cooling (HVAC) system was likewise separately arranged and based on individual control units and piping.
The limitations of these conventional first-generation EV architectures included wasted space, increased weight, and power loss. In response, Hyundai Wia integrates the heat sources inside EVs by modularizing the coolant and refrigerant systems and controlling them together on a single platform.
Hyundai Wia's ITMS platform consists of a coolant module that integrates a reservoir tank, an electric water pump (EWP), and a flow control valve. It also consists of a refrigerant module that combines an air conditioner compressor and a Chiller, and it controls the coolant module and refrigerant module together.
The system recovers high-temperature waste heat from motors and electrical components and reuses it for battery preheating and cabin heating in winter. In this process, a high-efficiency heat pump linkage algorithm is activated.
As a result of this configuration, the number of components is significantly reduced, and weight is also significantly reduced. In addition, it suppresses the reduction in EV driving range in winter and optimizes power efficiency.
This system meets ISO 26262 and AEC-Q100 standards. It guarantees a level of safety that prevents malfunctions even under extreme ambient temperature fluctuations.
Hyundai Wia then presents the combination of an 'e-LSD (electronic limited slip differential)' and a 'smart factory-based robotics solution' as a core technology for widening the gap with low-cost Chinese parts makers. The 'e-LSD' has the character of a high-performance EV drive control module.
Hyundai Wia's e-LSD and e-AWD systems are designed for electrified vehicles. The system performs precise control of strong initial torque.
It also detects road conditions and driving situations, with a detection cycle of 1/1,000 of a second. Based on this, it performs control functions that optimally distribute driving force between the left and right sides and between the front and rear wheels.
Hyundai Wia independently supplies Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR), collaborative robots, and unmanned parking robot platforms to the Hyundai Motor Group Singapore Global Innovation Center (HMGICS) and next-generation smart factories.
Among these, AMR is based on 3D lidar and AI vision sensors. It transports parts inside factories without error and is also linked to smart factory control algorithms.
Through this structure, AMR can also improve the yield of EV and battery pack manufacturing. Hyundai Wia holds both hardware technology for electrified parts production and manufacturing robotics solutions.
Based on this, Hyundai Wia is building dominance in a mobility manufacturing platform that can maximize mass-production productivity and cost competitiveness. Hyundai Motor Group is expanding the E-GMP, a next-generation EV-exclusive platform, while Kia is leading with the PV5 and accelerating the PBV market as well.
Accordingly, Hyundai Wia has entered an order momentum phase for ITMS and electrified parts aligned with the expansion of E-GMP and PBV supply. Hyundai Wia's ITMS and electrified parts orders have reached a steep inflection point.
Hyundai Wia previously had a revenue structure centered on internal combustion engine parts, but as the share of high-value-added ITMS, e-LSD, and robotics solutions revenue accelerates, it is entering a phase of advancing its profit structure.
Hyundai Wia holds a next-generation integrated module under independent development, and this next-generation integrated module has the character of a complete HVAC and thermal management solution. While pushing ahead with the commercialization of the next-generation integrated module, Hyundai Wia is also expanding its order targets for thermal management systems among global automakers in Europe and North America.
In this environment, Hyundai Wia's corporate value is being re-rated with momentum. The direction of this re-rating is aligned with moving beyond a simple engine parts maker and transforming into a giant in future mobility thermal management and smart factories.
However, Hyundai Wia still faces challenges. As global demand for internal combustion engine vehicles weakens and revenue from its existing engine and transmission divisions declines, the key issue is how quickly new ITMS and electrification businesses can offset the reduction in internal combustion engine parts. The goal is to establish itself as a top-tier global thermal management platform company, while also expanding orders from global third-party customers.
For Hyundai Wia to enhance its long-term corporate value, reducing dependence on the group's internal market is seen as a challenge. To that end, a strategy to diversify supply channels to top global OE brands is needed. In addition, the continued validation of next-generation eco-friendly refrigerants and the yield of modularized thermal management modules is also being raised as a challenge.
Meeting these challenges will bring the company closer to the goals of improving mass-production yield and enhancing cost competitiveness. The trend is that reducing the share of internal transactions, expanding supply to major external OE customers, and continuing to prove mass-production results for eco-friendly refrigerants and thermal management modules are necessary to strengthen competitiveness in yield and cost. This is regarded as a key to long-term corporate value enhancement.
One automotive industry expert said that the core technology in the EV era lies not in battery capacity, but in minimizing energy loss through the organic integration of battery, motor, and cabin thermal systems. The expert assessed Hyundai Wia as having proprietary coolant and refrigerant integrated module technology, ITMS platform capabilities, and precision machining robotics expertise. The expert also said Hyundai Wia has unmatched technological competitiveness in the global electrification thermal management market.
Source: TECHWORLD · Kim Yong-su
Original: https://www.epnc.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=408344
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Source: TECHWORLD
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