Water is a fundamental need, but its availability is now facing serious pressure due to climate change and industrial activity. According to UN data, more than 2 billion people live without adequate access to safe drinking water.

In the face of this situation, clean water treatment innovation is a crucial technical solution. However, maintaining the sustainability of water resources does not depend only on one industrial sector, but requires technological support from various fields, including the mobility and energy sectors.

This article will discuss the current challenges of clean water, the development of its treatment technology, as well as how the features of modern electric vehicles can contribute to a sustainable environmental ecosystem.

1. Challenges of Clean Water Treatment in the Modern Era

Today's challenges in clean water supply are multidimensional and increasingly complex than in previous decades:

• Chemical and Microplastic Pollution: Industrial waste and microplastic particles now pollute many water sources. Conventional filtration methods are often not effective enough to filter out these microscopic contaminants.
• Impacts of Climate Change: Extreme weather creates two contradictory problems. Drought reduces raw water reserves, while floods often contaminate clean water sources with silt and pathogens.
• Urbanization Pressures: Rapid urban growth significantly increases water demand while also generating larger volumes of wastewater, which puts a strain on existing treatment infrastructure.

2. The Latest Technology in Clean Water Treatment

Engineers and scientists are constantly developing new methods to answer the above challenges. The main focus is energy efficiency and more precise filtration capabilities. Some of the key technologies include:

• Advanced Membrane Filtration: The development  of Reverse Osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration technologies is now focused on targeting specific pollutants such as pharmaceutical residues and microplastics with lower energy consumption.
• UV-LED-Based Disinfection: This technology replaces the use of chlorine. UV-LED offers a fast and energy-efficient disinfection process to eradicate bacteria without leaving any harmful chemical residues.
• Solar-Powered Desalination: A solution for coastal areas that lack fresh water. The latest innovation integrates the desalination process directly with solar panels, allowing the system to operate independently (off-grid).

3. V2L (Vehicle-to-Load) Function in the Context of Energy and Water

In addition to the water treatment technology itself, supporting technology from other sectors plays an important role, especially in emergency situations. One of them is the Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) feature  found in battery-based electric vehicles (BEVs).

What is V2L?

V2L is a feature that allows electric vehicles, such as those based on the E-GMP platform, to function as a running power source. The car can deliver up to 3.6 kW of AC electrical power to external devices.

Relevance to Clean Water

In disaster situations where the power grid is cut off, water treatment facilities are often paralyzed. V2L can provide practical solutions for water resilience by:

• Operating Water Pump: Provides power to pump water from wells or groundwater sources.
• Turn on Portable Purification: Be the source of electricity for emergency water filtration units in evacuation posts.

4. Benefits of Water Treatment Technology for the Environment and Society

The application of appropriate water treatment technology to have a wide impact:

• Public Health: Access to contaminant-free water reduces the risk of waterborne diseases.
• Ecosystem Sustainability: Technologies such as efficient waste treatment prevent pollution of rivers and oceans.
• Disaster Resilience: Integration with mobility technologies such as V2L creates energy and water independence in times of emergency.

5. Examples of Technology Applications in Various Sectors

Innovations in clean water technology and green energy have been applied in various forms:

• Industrial Sector: The use of wastewater recycling systems to minimize groundwater withdrawal.
• Transportation Sector (FCEV): Hydrogen vehicles like the Hyundai NEXO use  unique Fuel Cell technology  . The electrochemical process between hydrogen and oxygen produces electricity with the only emission being pure water. In addition, the filtration system is able to filter microparticles from the air, thus also cleaning the environment while operating.

6. The Role of Individuals and Communities

Advanced technology requires the support of behavior change from the community. The role of individuals is crucial in maintaining water quality, from reducing the use of single-use plastics to supporting the clean energy transition.

Educational centers such as Hyundai Motorstudio Senayan Park are present as facilities for the public to understand the integration of this technology. Visitors can see firsthand the application of recycled materials at the "Re:Cycle" exhibition and understand how electric vehicle features that support sustainability work.

The combination of water treatment innovations, environmentally friendly mobility technology, and collective community awareness is the main key in maintaining the availability of clean water for the future.