Hyundai Motor Group Partners with Incheon Airport for AI EV Robots
SEOUL, South Korea - Hyundai Motor Group and Incheon International Airport Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday to deploy artificial intelligence-based electric vehicle automatic charging robots at the airport in a demonstration project.
The charging robots received Korean certification last year and obtained CE certification from the European Union to meet basic safety requirements.
The demonstration will take place at Incheon International Airport.
"This collaboration will serve as a significant milestone in verifying the practical benefits of future mobility technologies by combining Hyundai Motor Group's robotics and AI capabilities with Incheon International Airport Corporation's extensive operational experience," said Heui Won Yang, president, and head of research and development at Hyundai Motor Group.
Yang said the group aims to offer automatic charging solutions that can be used in any setting and plans to work with the airport to build mobility infrastructures.
The project addresses expected passenger increases after the airport's transformation into an Aviation AI Innovation Hub under the Incheon Airport 4.0 Era expansion.
"We expect this partnership to significantly enhance service and improve operational efficiency at Incheon International Airport," said Hag Jae Lee, president and chief executive of Incheon International Airport Corporation.
Lee said the airport will continue advancing as a leading digital airport based on its infrastructure and technological capabilities.
Hyundai Motor Group's Robotics LAB has previously conducted automatic charging robot demonstration projects, including a robot-friendly building initiative at Factorial Seongsu in Seoul that began in 2024.
The group plans to expand the robots' usage to enhance security at Incheon International Airport, which holds the highest national security grade, and introduce its Robotics Total Solution.
Under the agreement, Hyundai Motor Group will provide robotics hardware and software solutions, support the construction and performance optimization of the charging robots, and offer smart parking solutions.
The company will identify charging robot scenarios considering the airport's characteristics.
Incheon International Airport Corporation will provide the airport site as a demonstration environment for developing AI-based EV charging services.
The airport operator will support verification of the charging robots' usability and collect user feedback data.
The companies plan to expand automatic charging robot services to domestic and international transportation infrastructures, including airports, seaports, and railways, to accelerate the adoption of electrified vehicles.