Hyundai Presents the New EV Platform for Their Future Vehicles

Hyundai is surely not new to building electric vehicles, producing the Soul EV since 2014, not to mention the Kona EV, the “relentlessly sensible” Niro EV, and the upcoming Ioniq brand of electric vehicles. However, all the models Hyundai and Kia have produced to this date have been adapted from already existing platforms and designed for internal combustion engines. Now, they have made a truly original electric vehicle from the ground up.

The New Hyundai “E-GMP”

During a live-streamed press conference, executives from both HMG revealed a dedicated, new EV platform dubbed, “E-GMP.” The name can be a mouthful, but this platform is poised to become the basis of 23 EV models. 11 of them are dedicated to electrics — including the upcoming Ioniq 5, 6, and 7. HMG is expecting to sell over a million units worldwide by the middle of the decade.

Building eclectic vehicles on a platform designed specifically for this offers a number of great benefits over trying a shoehorn electric motors and a battery pack into a vehicle made with an internal combustion engine. Designers have far more room for creativity in how they lay out both the interior space and the vehicle overall, for example. Because they are not trying to evolve a new kind of vehicle of an outdated version, Hyundai can better optimize the performance and the safety measures and range to the specific driving conditions that an EV offers.

More About the New “E-GMP”

The executives of the company were also careful to emphasize the standardized and modular nature of the E-GMP platform. It should help not only reduce the complexity of building the vehicles but also allow the companies to build a wider variety of styles – from more sedate wagons, sedans, CUVs, and SUVs to souped-up cars capable of doing zero to 60mph in less than 3.5 seconds.

Hyundai’s E-GMP itself is laid out much like other EV platforms. It has a battery pack slung low to improve the center of gravity. In return, it offers great cornering performance but with a number of novel features. They include the world’s first mass-produced integrated drive axle (IDA) that combines wheel bearings with the driveshaft to transmit power to the wheels.

HMG plans to roll out the first E-GMP-derived vehicles in 2021 with the release of the Ioniq 5. Pricing and availability are still unannounced.