cross pond high tech

[Google translated from local Donga website]

Apple invests 4 trillion won in Kia…

Promotion of a “Apple Car” cooperation agreement this month Prospects of building exclusive production facilities through investment Kia's Georgia plant targets production in 2024 100,000 units per year… Up to 400,000 units “Hyundai Glovis will take on a significant role” Hyundai Motor Group's “Apple Car (tentative name)” cooperation theory is heating up the industry with the start of the new year. Amidst various rumors and news coming out steadily, a puzzle about the cooperation of Apple Cars was put together, centering on the group's major affiliate, Kia.

As previously known, Kia takes over the Apple Car project and production takes place at the Kia Georgia plant in the United States. Both Kia and Apple are refraining from expressing their official positions, but it was confirmed that they have entered the contract process. Apple car development cooperation, which was full of rumors and speculation, is making progress.

Overall, Kia and Apple plan to sign a formal contract worth 4 trillion won for Apple car production this month. Practical coordination for a formal contract has been underway since last month, and a specific contract schedule has been set. Initially, the contract date was set at the beginning of February, but it was delayed once and the schedule was changed to February 17. However, it is reported that the contract schedule on February 17 may change depending on the internal circumstances of each company. In particular, on the day of the contract, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Eui-sun Eui-seon said that the plan was scheduled to attend the contract ceremony. Recently, the news that Chairman Chung met a senior Apple official on a business trip to Singapore last month. The facts have not been confirmed.

The contract is expected to contain specific details related to the production of Apple cars. Apple is planning to invest 4 trillion won in Kia. With the aim of launching in 2024, the number of Apple cars produced by Kia is initially around 100,000 units per year, and can be expanded to a maximum of 400,000 units.

The 4 trillion won that Apple invests in Kia is expected to be used for building exclusive facilities for Apple car production and vehicle development. This large-scale initial investment is also a way Apple often uses in the process of driving major product production. When promoting the production of existing flagship products such as iPhone and iPad, Apple has invested trillions in LG Display (LGD) and supplied OLED panels produced in dedicated facilities. Likewise, Kia, which has attracted investment from Apple, is expected to build a dedicated line for Apple's electric vehicle production.

With Kia leading vehicle production in the Apple Car Project, attention is also being drawn to the role of Hyundai Glovis. An industry official said, "Glovis, which has several subsidiaries in the US, will play a significant role in the Apple Car business." Glovis operates 4 subsidiaries and 4 offices in the United States, including Glovis America and Georgia subsidiaries, Alabama subsidiaries, and GET subsidiary of local land transportation. In addition to logistics, which is its flagship business, the possibility of promoting electric vehicle-related businesses is predicting. According to the industry, from Apple's point of view, Hyundai Motor Group is the best partner for entering the electric vehicle market. It is analyzed that it is because it has its own electric vehicle platform (E-GMP), has a production facility in the United States, and has both the ability and requirements to actually produce new cars in accordance with the planned period (2024). The vision of the future proposed by Hyundai Motor Group, such as electric cars, hydrogen cars, and flying cars, may have been an attractive factor for Apple seeking innovation.

Exotrail, a French company dedicated to providing innovative on-orbit transportation solutions for the small satellite market have announced today that they have signed a contract with AAC Clyde Space, Europe’s leading nanosatellite solutions specialist. Exotrail will equip them with cutting-edge propulsion solutions for their customer, the global satellite telecommunications leader Eutelsat, for its ELO 3 and ELO 4 spacecrafts. The French company will provide propulsion systems for the two 6U CubeSats which will be manufactured and delivered to orbit by AAC Clyde Space. The Eutelsat mission is a precursor to a potential constellation called ELO (Eutelsat LEO for Objects).  The contract is to be delivered before the end of the year, both satellites will be launched in 2021.

AAC Clyde Space CEO Luis Gomes said:

“We are very much looking forward to working with Exotrail.  Their product is a perfect fit for both our needs and our customer’s requirements. Their modular ExoMG™ product has a highly compact and flexible form factor with industry leading performance levels, in particular with respect to thrust levels”

David Henri, Co-founder and CEO of Exotrail added:

“AAC Clyde Space is an established specialist in advanced nanosatellite spacecraft missions and provides market-leading New Space solutions. We are delighted to be able to assist them for this mission with our ExoMG™ - nano.  This underlines the relevance of our solutions for optimising global constellations and our expertise in this growing sector”

Exotrail started its propulsion system development with a flight demonstrator project that was designed, built, qualified and delivered in only 10 months. The launch of the flight system demonstrator, initially scheduled to fly in November 2019 on board a PSLV, is now planned in March 2020 (due to launcher delay). And the resulting heritage acquired with this project, along with the expertise and innovation put forward in Exotrail’s product development, has allowed the company to secure its first customers.  These customer contracts demonstrate that Exotrail’s strategy is paying off and that the company has moved quickly from vision to reality. A vision to not only provide a propulsion system, but a set of software, hardware and services, to change the way satellites are being launched and operated on orbit. This vision is now translating into revenue and success.