Hyundai Steel said Thursday it has developed high-quality alloy steel that reduces noise emitted by electric vehicles.

The steelmaking technology was jointly developed with Hyundai Motor Group and its affiliate, Kia, and was certified as a New Excellent Technology (NET) by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The company said reducers made of the alloy steel enhances thermal management of car batteries by 48 percent compared to other steels and reduces the sound of shifting gears. It also increases the durability of gear reducers more than twofold.

The alloy steel will be first used in Kia’s electric vehicle, EV6 GT, which is scheduled to launch this year.

“Amid the fast-growing trend toward net zero, the EV market is rapidly expanding and so are motor components for EVs. With the newly developed alloy steel, we seek to gain a competitive edge in the EV materials market,” the company said in a statement.

NET refers to a government-certified technology that is either new or innovative and has a huge economic and technological impact.