November 29, 2024

• 

Hyundai Motor Group's eco-friendly vehicles Elec City and Ioniq 5 are parked in front of a soccer stadium in Doha, Qatar. (Hyundai Motor Group)

Hyundai Motor Group said Thursday that it would sponsor 236 units of eco-friendly vehicles for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 which kicks off on Nov. 20, as part of a commitment to keep the global soccer event a carbon-neutral tournament.

Hyundai will sponsor a total of 616 vehicles to be operated for FIFA staff, VIP guests, players and media during the game which ends on Dec. 18. The Korean carmaker has been the official sponsor for World Cup since 2002.

It is the first time that the company and the event organizer are deploying eco-friendly vehicles during the game.

“It is meaningful that our sponsorship for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 with eco-friendly cars is the first of its kind in the soccer event’s history. Hyundai Motor Group will continue to put efforts and take lead for carbon neutrality,” said an official from Hyundai Motor Group.

A variety of Hyundai Motor Group’s electrified models including the Ioniq 5, G80, GV70, Sonata HEV, Kona HEV and Tucson HEV will be used to transport guests and staffers, while electric bus Elec City will be used for national teams and members of the press.

Major charging stations across Doha, the capital of Qatar, will be equipped with 100 kW or 150 kW EV chargers, Hyundai said.

To ensure the EVs don’t run out of batteries, the carmaker will also run a portable EV charging service by using an Ioniq 5 retrofitted with a battery charger.

The company will operate a real-time vehicle control and management service by monitoring the EVs in operation and send alerts when emergencies happen. Hyundai Motor staff responsible for vehicle quality control will be ready at the FIFA garage during the games, the company said.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)