On the 14th, inside the grounds of the Kia plant (Autoland Hwaseong) in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, stood the "EVO Plant EAST" building, a factory dedicated to purpose-built vehicles (PBVs). This is the PBV base that Kia completed in Jan. 2023 to lead electrification in the light commercial vehicle segment. On the day of the completion ceremony, production of the PBV PV5 was in full swing at EVO Plant, which is the size of 42 soccer fields (303,075 square meters). Although the EAST building can produce up to 150,000 units a year, current output is around 50,000 units, so there were empty lines.
Upon entering EVO Plant EAST, a yellow robotic arm labeled "HYUNDAI" caught the eye. The 2-meter-long arm moved and assembled parts such as the cross pad that absorbs vehicle impacts, then transferred the body to the next stage. Heavy components like the dashboard and seats were all handled by robots.
Once assembly was complete, the body automatically moved to the next process. Human tasks were largely limited to connecting sensors to the PV5 body or conducting checks before the vehicle left the line. Lee Wan-ju, a principal researcher at Kia who guided the tour, said, "Because these are artificial intelligence (AI)-based robots, they recognize their position on their own," adding, "They have reduced workers' operational burden."
The Hwaseong EVO Plant is Kia's second factory dedicated to electric vehicles and its first dedicated PBV plant. EVO Plant is a name combining "Evolution," meaning advancement, and "Plant," meaning factory. About 4 trillion won was invested in building the Hwaseong EVO Plant, which consists of the EAST building producing the PV5, the WEST building where models like the PV7 will be made, and a conversion center to develop specialized models such as box trucks with partner companies. Kia plans to produce 250,000 PBVs annually at this site.
Kia President Song Ho-sung said at the EAST completion and WEST groundbreaking ceremonies held that day, "Kia is seizing the electrification transition in the light commercial vehicle (LCV) market as an opportunity and is pushing PBVs as a core business for the future." Kia set a goal of selling a total of 890,000 PBVs by 2030. Song said, "We will sell 73% of the 890,000 units overseas to achieve about 32 trillion won in export value." All of Kia's PBVs are slated to be produced in Korea.
The event was attended by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Dong-yeon, and First Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Moon Shin-hak, among others. In a welcome address, Prime Minister Kim said, "The government will provide comprehensive support so that the workplace becomes one where AI and technicians coexist," and added, "The national greenhouse gas reduction target (NDC) is not an easy goal, but the government will provide support without neglect so that even parts makers can settle into the electrification transition." Because the event was held inside the EAST building, the sound of tire friction on the urethane floor and bodies being moved continued throughout.
EVO Plant EAST features the application of AI-based robots and information technology (IT) to enable more eco-friendly plant operations and quality control. In the body shop, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) handle transport, and in the paint shop, a dry booth was installed to cut carbon emissions by 20% compared with existing plants. In particular, the factory differs from conventional plants in that both conveyor-belt production and the cell (CELL) method are applied at the same time. The aim is to assemble different vehicles on each line.
Kia also said it focused on workers' operating environments. It applied technologies such as smart tags, which are location-based automation devices, instruction monitors to prevent miswork, and robots that take over hazardous processes like installing heavy parts. A Kia official said, "With low-noise equipment as well, the site will be reborn as worker-friendly."
Meanwhile, Kia plans to accelerate achieving RE100 (100% use of renewable energy) by investing in a 50 MW (megawatt) solar renewable energy power facility using about 105,000 pyeong of idle national land at Autoland Hwaseong.