Seoul is trying to put one of the world’s highest concentrations of electric vehicles (EVs) on its roads with a project that would let drivers charge their vehicles in residential parking lots and other everyday locations.The city is planning to give out electric charger cables fitted with RFID readers that would allow drivers to recharge their batteries through standard power outlets at 100,000 locations—a huge increase from current numbers.Central to the project is a charger cable called the EV-Line, developed by Gyeonggi-based Power Cube. The cable has an RFID reader than can scan an RFID tag attached to power outlets in parking lots for apartments, offices and elsewhere. It also has a 3G wireless module.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Owners of Hyundai Motor’s upcoming Equus will be able to take their hands off the steering wheel and feet off the brakes as they’re traveling down the highway, and let their car do the driving. The South Korea-based automaker plans to integrate a host of self-driving features into its premium sedan later this year, transforming it into a semiautonomous vehicle.Highway driving assistance features will allow the new Equus to stay in lane, slow down and speed up as necessary to avoid collisions. The price of the new Equus hasn’t been determined but should be similar to Hyundai’s current models, ranging from US $61,500 to $68,750, officials said.The main markets for the new Equus will be South Korea and the U.S., company officials said at a briefing ahead of the Seoul Motor Show, which opened Friday.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Uber Technologies suspended its ride-sharing service in Seoul on Friday, bowing to local authorities after more than a year of struggle over its ride-hailing services.The decision comes only nine days after Uber made uberX free for riders there in response to a crackdown by city authorities, who offered a reward of up to 1 million won (US$910) to residents who reported drivers accepting payments for rides without a permit.“This is the strongest show of our willingness to change the Uber business model in order to create a regulated solution, as we believe that changing our business model is the right thing to do,” Uber said in a statement. The suspension takes effect Friday, it said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Samsung Electronics will freeze the salary of all its employees in South Korea this year as the company struggles to improve its bottom line in an ever more competitive global smartphone market.The salary freeze, the company’s first since 2009, won’t affect bonuses and performance-based incentives, the company said Thursday.Samsung hopes the move will help it survive a challenging business environment. The world’s largest smartphone maker reported plunging profits throughout last year as the popularity of its premium Galaxy smartphone series lagged compared to that of low-priced Android devices from Chinese brands such as Xiaomi and Lenovo.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Uber Technologies is offering free rides on its uberX ride-sharing service in the South Korean capital of Seoul, after city authorities intensified their crackdown on illegal drivers by offering a reward to residents who report Uber drivers to police.Last December, the city of Seoul offered rewards of 1 million won (about US$910) to people who report Uber drivers, and called all services by Uber “blatantly illegal.” In the last three months of operating the service for sale, about 100 reports have been made although no rewards were provided by the city yet, according to Uber Korea’s spokeswoman. Seoul city was not available for immediate response.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Uber Technologies is offering free rides on its uberX ride-sharing service in the South Korean capital of Seoul, after city authorities intensified their crackdown on illegal drivers by offering a reward to residents who report Uber drivers to police.Last December, the city of Seoul offered rewards of 1 million won (about US$910) to people who report Uber drivers, and called all services by Uber “blatantly illegal.” In the last three months of operating the service for sale, about 100 reports have been made although no rewards were provided by the city yet, according to Uber Korea’s spokeswoman. Seoul city was not available for immediate response.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Yewon Kang