Hyundai Motor Group – which includes both Hyundai Motors and Kia Motors – isn't a neophyte when it comes to electric vehicles. But developing new EVs are usually costly, and many customers shy away from these high-priced vehicles. To reduce costs and save money, Hyundai is more than willing to develop a new EV platform with another company.
Canoo And Its Skateboard Platform
Hyundai has decided to enter into a collaboration with Canoo to develop a new EV platform derived from the latter’s proprietary skateboard design. Relatively unknown, Canoo is a Los Angeles-based company that plans to build EVs on membership basis only, with an eye to launch its first model in 2021. Its vehicles won’t follow conventional builds and types, but would instead focus on their applications.
As part of this quest, Canoo has developed a fixed and flat skateboard platform that is designed to accommodate an electric drivetrain that can deliver 300 miles of range. Four different vehicles will be created, but all of them will share the same underpinnings.
By leveraging the same platform on different vehicles, Canoo can drastically cut down its R&D costs and even pave the way for more efficient production. It is also faster to launch a new vehicle after another because a platform is already there to do the trick. Pretty wise, isn't it?
It’s All About Costs
To keep up with its rivals, Hyundai is aiming to build cost-competitive electric vehicles. To achieve that, the South Korean carmaker needs to trim down its own costs, in particular development expenses. The platform represents a large cost in any vehicle, and Hyundai can save a lot of money if it has a platform that underpins several EVs at once.
This is where Canoo comes in. The L.A.-based company will provide engineering services to help develop a fully scalable platform that can meet Hyundai and Kia's specs. Canoo’s scalable skateboard platform will serve as a basis for this new adaptable all-electric platform, which should allow for a simplified and less costly development process for Hyundai’s EV.
More Affordable Hyundai EVs
Aside from drastically reducing costs, the new skateboard platform should also simplify Hyundai’s assembly lines. This means that the group can respond faster to demands in the market as well as to the preferences of its customers. Well, reduced costs should translate to lower-priced EVs from Hyundai, and that’s good news for us!
Source: Hyundai