Hyundai Eyes Atlas, SpaceX Steel Supply
Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung said steel produced at the company's planned electric-arc-furnace mill in the United States could be used not only in Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot Atlas, but potentially in rockets made by companies such as SpaceX.
Speaking to reporters on Sep. 4 local time at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Hyundai Steel-POSCO Louisiana electric-arc-furnace steel mill (HPLS) in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, Chung was asked whether U.S.-made steel from the project would be used in Atlas.
“I believe it absolutely should be applied,” he said.
He added, “I hope that, as we move forward, we can work even harder to supply rocket companies such as SpaceX as well.”
HPLS is a U.S. electric-arc-furnace steel mill being established by Hyundai Motor Group and POSCO Group through a USD 5.8 billion investment, or roughly KRW 8 trillion. It will be the first electric-arc-furnace steel mill built in the United States by the two Korean industrial groups.
Hyundai Motor Group will hold an 80% stake in the project, while POSCO Group will hold the remaining 20%. Within Hyundai Motor Group, Hyundai Steel will account for 50% of the investment, Hyundai Motor 15%, and Kia 20%.
Commercial production is scheduled to begin in 2029. The facility is expected to produce 2.7 million metric tons of steel products annually, including 1.8 million metric tons for automotive use and 900,000 metric tons for general applications. Its output will include hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and galvanized steel sheets.
About half of the production is expected to be supplied to Hyundai Motor and Kia electric and hybrid vehicles manufactured at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA), the group's new U.S. production hub.
HPLS is a core component of Hyundai Motor Group's USD 21 billion U.S. investment plan announced at the White House in March last year. Chung said the project was progressing on a normal track thanks to support from the Louisiana state government and other partners.
“There are benefits for both Hyundai Motor Group and the United States, so I believe we can create meaningful synergy,” Chung said. “Rather than focusing too heavily on tariffs, we want to concentrate on making better products and improving vehicle quality.”
Steel produced at the Louisiana site is expected to reach beyond Hyundai and Kia, potentially serving the broader North American automotive market.
Hyundai Motor President and CEO Jose Munoz said the company intends to use HPLS steel in vehicles manufactured in the United States.
“We want to use HPLS steel in the vehicles we produce in the U.S.,” Munoz said. “We plan to apply it to as many vehicle models as possible.”
Munoz added that other automakers have also expressed interest in the steel. “We are in discussions with some companies, and we expect that we may be able to supply steel to them as well,” he said.
