This new generation of electric Hyundai cars benefits from significant improvements in the development process: future battery-electric vehicles can be designed and constructed more flexibly to meet different customer requirements. In addition, customers benefit from an improved range and, thanks to 800-volt technology, from a very fast charging capacity, according to Hyundai in a recent press release.

The development of the platform began on a blank sheet of paper and offers unprecedented freedom in terms of vehicle design.  Thanks to it, the Hyundai Designer can design electric vehicles with different drive systems without having to compromise on the space available in the interior.

Extremely fast charging: 100 kilometers in five minutes

One of the greatest advantages of the E-GMP is its ability to charge quickly. At a 350-kilowatt charging station, the battery can be charged from ten to 80 percent in just 18 minutes using 800-volt technology. In comparison, a vehicle equipped with 400-volt technology would take around twice as long for the same charging process. “Reloading” for a range of 100 kilometers according to WLTP is already completed after five minutes.

The system allows charging at 800-volt and 400-volt charging stations without the need for additional components or adapters. This multi-charging system is a technology developed and patented by Hyundai for high charging compatibility. Thanks to a boost converter, the rear electric motor, and the inverter can internally convert a 400-volt charge into 800 volts before the electricity reaches the batteries. This system gives customers the benefits of 800-volt fast-charging regardless of the actual voltage of the charger.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 offers bidirectional charging capability

With the innovative Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) function, every Hyundai electric car with E-GMP has the option of bidirectional charging. The high-voltage battery can act as a power bank and supply external electrical devices such as e-bikes, e-scooters, or notebooks with a maximum output of 3.68 kilowatts while driving or when stationary with up to 230 V alternating current. In the interior, a household socket is attached to the rear seat bench for this purpose. To use the function on the outside, an adapter is included. This means that the new Hyundai Ioniq 5 can also provide breakdown assistance and charge other electric cars.

The heart of the E-GMP architecture is a large, high-capacity battery pack housed flat in the vehicle floor, which enables the Ioniq 5 to range up to 485 kilometers according to WLTP.

Repair-friendly construction of the battery pack

The large battery pack is located between the axles, which are far apart, and deep in the middle of the platform, which results in a low center of gravity for the vehicle. This construction not only has a positive effect on cornering, acceleration and driving stability. Thanks to an optimal axle load distribution, it also improves the handling of the vehicle. The five-link rear wheel suspension handles longitudinal, transverse and vertical forces equally well, and the innovative, integrated drive axles – they function as drive shaft and wheel bearings at the same time – transmit the power of the rear electric motor directly to the wheels. 

Compared to a solution with separate parts, the integrated drive axle is 42 percent stiffer and ten percent lighter, which, according to Hyundai, further improves handling and driving behavior.

By using standardized battery cells and modules within a large unit, E-GMP enables only individual modules to be replaced or revised in the event of repairs. This lowers repair costs for customers and minimizes the financial risk when purchasing a vehicle.

More legroom and flexibility in the interior

The new platform also completely redefines the proportions of electrically powered vehicles. The flat battery pack ensures a consistently level floor in the interior.

For the vehicle occupants, a long wheelbase and a flat vehicle floor mean more legroom, thus more comfort on long journeys and at the same time more freedom of movement in the vehicle. The front and rear seats, as well as the sliding center console, can be flexibly adjusted. With the generous dimensions of the interior, the designers also have more freedom to design the vehicle interior in an innovative and spacious manner. Instead of submitting to conventional design principles, you can transform the interior of the vehicle into a new living space.

Identical space conditions with rear-wheel and all-wheel drive

With the E-GMP, Hyundai engineers have created a flexible and modular platform, the basis of which can be used for various vehicle segments. Areas such as side skirts, rear carriers or the wheelhouses can be modified variably within the platform so that they can be adapted for different vehicle classes and enable a range of new, attractive vehicle designs. Central areas such as shock-absorbing elements, the wheel suspensions and the battery housing are fixed in the platform. This guarantees safe, comfortable use and optimal protection for passengers and battery.

The new electric platform is designed for rear-wheel drive as standard. It can also be upgraded to all-wheel drive with an additional motor as in the Hyundai Ioniq 5. The space available in the interior is independent of the drive variant.

By eliminating the internal combustion engine, the front overhang could be shortened. The bonnet is sloping and parts of the air conditioning and heating system are now where the gasoline or diesel engine would otherwise be found. This creates more space, which enables a clearer cockpit design. The design of the dashboard in E-GMP vehicles offers the driver and front passenger a spacious, modern and comfortable ambience. The Ioniq 5 offers additional storage space under the bonnet (Frunk) with a capacity of up to 57 liters for smaller pieces of luggage or devices.

More safety for occupants

The body structure of the new platform increases safety for occupants. In the event of a collision, special collision frames at the front and rear absorb the impact energy and divert it to the outside around the battery pack. The front collision frame fulfills this task particularly effectively thanks to a multi-skeleton-like structure.

In the new platform, the battery is particularly protected by a special body structure in the floor area made of ultra-high-strength steel. Here, in the event of a potential side impact, extruded aluminum reinforcements absorb a large part of the energy introduced.

The Ioniq 5 and its “universal island”

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the first battery-electric vehicle based on E-GMP and also the first of the new Ioniq sub-brand. According to the manufacturer, the E-CUV reflects the many advantages of the new platform.

The innovative center console in the Ioniq 5, for example, functions as a multifunctional island. It can be pushed back by up to 140 millimeters. In combination with the flat floor of the vehicle, this movable island enables the occupants to get on and off flexibly, more freedom of movement and a high level of comfort. For the passengers in the rear, the universal island offers easy access to a wireless charging option with up to 15 watts for mobile phones and USB connections.

The particularly flexibly adjustable and heated front seats with relax function and fold-out leg rests can be adjusted at an ergonomically optimal angle, for example to rest during a charging process. The passengers in the second row also benefit from the innovative design of the front seats, in which Hyundai has reduced the volume of the backrests by 30 percent compared to comparable designs. The space gained in this way benefits the legroom of the rear passengers.

Hyundai sees E-GMP as a milestone for the electric car era

With the new E-GMP architecture, Hyundai says it has enormous potential for the successful development and marketing of future vehicles. It is part of the strategy of the South Korean brand to become one of the leading manufacturers of electric cars. Over the next five years, the Hyundai Motor Group plans to bring a total of 23 electrified models onto the market, eleven of which are purely electric cars such as the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, and Ioniq 7. The goal is to sell more than a million electric cars worldwide by 2025.

He made the statement to him during an online conference of the Financial Times last week on Thursday. This is based on the demonstrable, increasing demand for purely electric cars in Europe. The sales of battery electric vehicles accounted for 5.7 percent of all new registrations in the first quarter, according to data from the industry association ACEA.
Electric car sales in the region are expected to top the one million mark for the first time this year. Strongly driven by subsidies and incentives from manufacturers and politicians.

Ford is currently launching its first all-electric car, the Mustang Mach-E, in Europe and will introduce a second electric model based on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform in 2023. Ford is also considering putting a second MEB-based model on the road. According to insider reports, the decision is imminent. Ford has announced that all cars sold in Europe will be equipped with a battery or plug-in hybrid drives by mid-2026. Whether Ford will switch to fully electric vehicles before 2030 depends on the model range, according to Rowley.

“There will be segments that will not be fully electric [by 2030], but we may not be represented in those segments,” said the Ford CEO at the online conference. Ford is leaving its traditional segments to focus more on SUVs and announced earlier this year that it would end production of the mid-range Mondeo family by 2022. The brand will be sharpened.

In Salzgitter, the series production of the so-called solid-state batteries should then start, further development of the lithium-ion batteries currently in use for electric cars. In the first step, however, a pilot line is planned to test the technology with an annual production capacity of a one-gigawatt hour (GWh). In a subsequent step, the annual output is to be expanded to 20 GWh. A final decision on the location should be made by the end of 2021, the company said in a corresponding message.

Still no final decision

A Volkswagen spokesman said on request that there was still no final decision on a pilot system for the solid fuel cell in Salzgitter, as the Automobilwoche knows. This will be met in the fourth quarter at the latest. The VW spokesman, however, indicates that such a production can only be built with government funding in Germany. “Because without such funding, Salzgitter has little chance in a European and international comparison ,” he said.

To compare the costs, take a look at the pilot factory in the USA: An investment of 230 to 290 million US dollars is planned there, which is to flow into the construction of the pilot factory. Corresponding cash is available thanks to private financing from Volkswagen and a recent SPAC deal for an IPO (NYSE: QS). An investment of a similar amount can be expected for Germany.

Investing multi-billion dollars for the future

Volkswagen is investing around 16 billion euros in the future topics of e-mobility , hybridization and digitization by 2025 . By 2030, the share of pure e-cars in sales in Europe is to increase to more than 70 percent – double the previous plan of 35 percent. As part of the Volkswagen Power Day , the group is presenting its technology roadmap for the areas of batteries and charging by 2030. The aim of the roadmap is to significantly reduce the complexity and costs of the battery for the electric carto make it attractive and affordable for as many people as possible.

Up to now, it has been assumed that there will be a cell demand of 150-gigawatt hours (GWh) per year for Europe. In Europe alone, six gigafactories with a total capacity of 240-gigawatt hours are to be built by the end of the decade to meet this demand. Part of meeting demand could be the joint battery factory with QuantumScape.

Salzgitter has already been accorded great importance in the previous plans. The unit cell for the volume segment will be produced in Salzgitter from 2025 and innovations in process, design, and chemistry will be developed. An expansion to up to 40 GWh per year is also planned for Salzgitter. This realignment will achieve better economies of scale and reduce production complexity.

The switch from combustion engines to electric cars is not a job killer, said Ferdinand Dudenhöffer from the Duisburg research institute Center Automotive Research (CAR). Based on a study carried out at the CAR Institute, he predicts that the plans of the EU Commission criticized by the manufacturers will have only minor negative consequences for jobs in the automotive industry. “The planned tightening of the CO2 regulation in the EU endangers jobs in the European auto industry less than feared,” said Dudenhöffer. “On the contrary: one can expect positive effects on employment across all economic sectors.”

In the car countries Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Slovakia, according to the analysis, only 1.8 percent of jobs are to be lost due to stricter emissions requirements. That corresponds to almost 15,000 jobs. The effects on employment could largely be offset by new jobs in the field of e-mobility such as battery production and charging infrastructure, according to the study. An earlier switch to electric cars promotes the development of economies of scale and future competitive advantages in the auto industry.

Dudenhöffer warns against paying too much attention to the allegation of impending job losses and thereby postponing the end of internal combustion engines such as diesel and gasoline. “In my opinion, it makes sense not to adopt a softened Euro Standard 7. That was done far too often in the past and has hindered our technical progress and the transformation to the electric car, ”he told Handelsblatt .

With a “slack” Euro standard 7, today’s combustion engines would be sold for a very long time. “If we take climate protection and emissions protection in our cities seriously, we mustn’t close our eyes in the transport sector,” warned the scientist. The conclusion of his study: “It has already been shown in the past that stricter CO2 requirements in the German automotive industry have created jobs and not destroyed them.”

The CAR boss advocates relying on the new potential and thus jobs, for example in the production of battery cells. If these opportunity costs were taken into account, there would be a positive job effect due to the stricter EU emission regulations.

There was no adjustment for the other two versions: the Model 3 “Standard Plus”, which costs from 43,970 euros, covers a further 448 kilometers, the 58,970 euros expensive sports version “Performance” 567 kilometers. With the new range of the Model 3 Long Range, Tesla is clearly setting itself apart from VW’s mass-market electric car ID3, which is available with a maximum range of 549 kilometers. Other manufacturers also offer less in this segment.

As usual, Tesla did not announce the change, but simply entered it in the online configurator. In previous cases, improvements were achieved with the help of software updates over the cellular network, but the extended range for the Model 3 Long Range only applies to new models according to the current status. If there is no update for vehicles that have already been delivered in the next few weeks, there may have been adjustments to the battery. Tesla has not disclosed the exact storage capacity of its electric cars for a long time.

Another current change in the Model 3 is, according to Teslamag, a steering wheel heater in the more expensive Long Range and Performance versions. In the entry-level version, Model 3 Standard Plus, the function should also soon be able to be activated for a fee.

The Tesla with the greatest range is still the premium sedan Model S. This series is currently undergoing a model change and will initially offer up to 663 electric kilometers this year according to the realistic US EPA standard. In the course of next year, the new top version Model S “Plaid +” should be able to travel around 840 kilometers without reloading.