Hyundai has unveiled its new battery-electric platform that will underpin many of its future EVs.
This new dedicated EV platform is referred to by Hyundai as the Electric-Global Modular Platform or E-GMP. The platform is fully scalable, meaning Hyundai can easily adapt it to underpin a wide variety of different vehicle types from different segments, including sedans, crossovers and SUVs.
The modular battery pack is the centrepiece of the E-GMP platform. Cells can be added or removed from the lithium-ion battery to create larger or smaller battery packs for different vehicle types and sizes. The largest version of the battery will enable a maximum estimated driving range of 500 kilometres in certain Hyundai and/or Kia vehicles.
Additionally, the E-GMP platform will offer standard 800V charging at rates of up to 350 kW. When plugged into an appropriate DC fast charging station, E-GMP powered EVs will be able to charge from flat to 80 per cent capacity in 18 minutes and add up to 100 km of driving range in just five minutes. A new Hyundai-patented design also allows E-GMP vehicles to plug into any 400V charging station without the need for an adapter.
Drive will come from what Hyundai calls a "power electric" or PE system, which combines the electric motor, single-speed EV transmission and inverter into a single compact unit. All E-GMP vehicles will be rear-wheel-drive based with the option for all-wheel drive. These all-wheel-drive models will feature an additional motor in the front of the vehicle, along with a disconnector for the EV transmission that allows it to easily switch between RWD and AWD. This can improve the vehicle's overall efficiency by only driving two wheels instead of four when AWD may not be necessary.
The fastest E-GMP powered Hyundai or Kia vehicle will be able to accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in roughly 3.5 seconds and will boast a top speed of 260 km/h. The platform's even weight distribution and low centre of gravity also enables "improved cornering performance and driving stability at high speed," over Hyundai and Kia's current front-wheel-drive EV platform, the automaker says. This FWD EV platform can be found in vehicles like the Hyundai Kona EV and Kia Soul EV.
The 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric hatchback will be among the first E-GMP powered EVs to arrive and will be joined by a yet-to-be-named Kia EV set to debut sometime next year. The automaker says it plans to launch a total of 11 dedicated EV models between now and the end of 2025 and hopes to sell one million EVs total within the same timeframe.
Readers can learn a bit more about the new Hyundai E-GMP platform via the video embedded below.
