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Mercedes-Benz EQE |
[Alpha Biz= Reporter Kim Minyoung] Out of the 58 electric vehicle models currently operating in South Korea, 23 are equipped with Chinese-made batteries. Among imported electric vehicles, the proportion using Chinese batteries reaches about 50%.
The recent case of a Mercedes-Benz EQE that was completely burned in Cheongna-dong, Incheon, has drawn attention to the fact that it was equipped with a battery from Farasis, a Chinese manufacturer outside the industry's top 10. This has led to growing calls for regulatory reforms, including the disclosure of battery manufacturers.
According to a full survey conducted by the Korea Economic Daily and market research firm EV Volumes on August 8th, 39.7% of electric vehicle models in South Korea use Chinese-made batteries. For imported electric vehicles, 19 out of 40 models are equipped with Chinese batteries.
Among Mercedes-Benz models, only the EQC SUV is fitted with Korean batteries, while the EQS SUV, priced at 255 million KRW, uses batteries from China's CATL and Envision AESC, the latter of which had a global market share of just 0.5% as of the end of last year.
Alphabiz Kim Minyoung (kimmy@alphabiz.co.kr)
