The race to lead the auto industry through electrification is often seen as a conflict between a long-established giant and a new disruptor—see the deal blows between General Motors and Volkswagen Group, or Ford and Tesla. Although this is not a zero-sum game, there will be clear winners and losers in the next ten years. What we want to point out here is that ten years later, you may look back and hope you bet more on a black horse in particular: Hyundai.
Yes, modern. By 2021, with an eye-catching design, interesting battery technology, and a strong product line, this South Korean automaker may become one of the fastest companies in the transition to electric vehicles. Yes-this is a wise analysis, not a guarantee. Its battery electric vehicles will soon enter the mass market, and will enter the mass market simultaneously with General Motors and Ford. Hyundai cars are smart enough to not try to compete with full-size electric pickup trucks. This is still the last stronghold of Detroit 2.5, especially because they are basically unavailable outside North America. The mediocre results of Nissan and Toyota 20 years after manufacturing American full-size pickup trucks provide an objective lesson. But Hyundai has aggressive plans for the rest of the light truck and passenger car market.
Of course, every competent car manufacturer now has a bold plan to launch a batch of electric cars in the next 5 to 10 years and invest billions of dollars to achieve this goal. The slight difference here is that Hyundai has shown in the past decade that it can significantly improve each generation of cars and break new ground as quickly as any other manufacturer, while keeping prices relatively close to the earth. SUV is too late, but now it has a complete product line that can lead its sales and provide value-for-money services. As structural technological changes have flattened the competitive environment, Hyundai is expected to do the same with electric vehicles, even if the patchwork of global emission regulations and cultural differences means that different markets will develop at different speeds.
When the company launched plug-in cars in the United States in 2014, it did not limit them to two vehicles (as General Motors did), but instead released six. They are pure electric vehicles with a cruising range of 100 to 230 miles, various plug-in hybrid models, including cars and current SUVs, and more models are coming soon. Hyundai also hopes to play a role in the field of hydrogen fueled vehicles, although it wisely focuses on freight transport rather than vehicles for personal use. But that is a completely different story. It is now important to understand how Hyundai has become a force that cannot be ignored in this vital high-risk battle.
First of all, a bit of history is orderly. Pretending to go back 30 years ago, to the end of the malaise era, halfway through what is today called the Radwood era.
In 1991, Toyota was still famous for the Corolla, but the third-generation Camry was about to take a big step. Honda has been producing Accords in the United States for ten years. As we all know, that car and its Civic are more attractive than anything GM, Ford or Chrysler can offer because of its reliability, fun to drive, and more. These three domestic companies are working hard to prevent the proliferation of small and medium-sized cars with reliable, reasonably priced, and better quality Japanese brands. (Spoiler: no success.)
But modern? This Korean manufacturer is a laughing stock. Its main product in the United States is Excel, which is a compact mini-car, mainly because it is cheaper than any product other than Yugo. The first Sonata looked like a poor-spec Nissan Sentra, rather than today's stylish, high-tech, almost coupe-like sedan. The company purchased engines from Mitsubishi for many years before manufacturing its own engines.
How the times have changed. Hyundai Motor is now a global giant and the fifth largest car manufacturer in the world. It took control of the Korean rival brand Kia in 1998 and split the Genesis premium model into its own brand in 2015. It is produced in every major car purchase region, including North America, and its two brands produce cars in Alabama and Georgia. It has a design center in California and a research and development center in Michigan. It hired designers and engineers from European manufacturers, erased any traces of Asian ancestry, and even created its own "N" performance brand inside Hyundai—just like Audi, BMW and Mercedes.
Just like the Samsung phone in your pocket, it is technologically leading and its features are usually more advanced than Japanese and European competitors. In some ways, the Hyundai cars of the 2020s feel like Japanese automakers did in the 1980s, ready to occupy a certain degree of dominance, which may keep many other executives awake at night.
The company’s first electric car is not actually a Hyundai car, but the 2016 Kia Soul EV, a low-capacity modification of the brand’s compact "small" hatchback, with 93 miles of EPA-rated mileage- It is closely followed by the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric, which is expected to lead by 124 miles. Embarrassingly, a few weeks before General Motors CEO Mary Barra announced that this car will become the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, the Ioniq's specifications were frozen, and its cruising range was twice the original.
In February 2020, the company released the first details of its Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). By 2025, this basic structure will become the basis for 23 independent models worldwide (excluding the Genesis brand). This number of models puts Hyundai and Kia in the same alliance with General Motors and Volkswagen Group, and may be ahead of Ford and electric car pioneer Nissan. (We note that Tesla currently has four models in production, and one is expected in the future. A pickup truck, a Semi and a convertible sports car.)
The E-GMP technical specifications underscore Hyundai's serious attitude towards making its electric vehicles fully competitive in all markets where it operates. Crucially, it supports larger vehicles-up to three rows of cross-border utilities, which may be the most profitable mass market segment in this field. US
The first three E-GMP vehicles will be the 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5; the Kia EV6, which will follow Hyundai early next year; and the Genesis GV60, which has just been unveiled in late September. All of these are sold as compact crossover utility vehicles, but in another shot, they can easily be seen as large compact hatchbacks with all-wheel drive. However, the United States loves crossovers and hates hatchbacks, so they are SUVs—despite low, stylish, aerodynamic SUVs.
Ioniq 5 uses a block design, almost a Blade Runner design, unlike any current modern models. It is the best choice for the market: a compact crossover utility vehicle. It will provide all-wheel drive, and a range of 250 to 300 miles, and will be launched in the limited US market at the end of 2021.
Experience has shown that the company's electric models will provide better mileage than competitors-this is the key selling point for the first purchase of an electric car. In 2017, the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid Blue had a comprehensive fuel economy rating of 58 mpg to 56 mpg, beating the Toyota Prius Eco. Similarly, the EPA mileage of the 2019 Kia Niro EV is 239 miles, which exceeds the 238 miles of the Chevrolet Bolt EV.
The rear-wheel drive version of Hyundai's Ioniq 5 has a goal of 300 miles and uses a 77.5 kWh battery to power a 168 kW (225 hp) rear motor. The all-wheel drive configuration adds a 74-kilowatt motor to the front axle with a rated power of 320 horsepower and 446 pound-feet. Unsurprisingly, adding AWD reduces the range to 269 miles-or 244 miles in all the bells and whistles of the limited AWD version. Nevertheless, given that Volkswagen’s ID.4 EPA rating is 240 to 260 miles in the RWD and AWD versions, Hyundai looks likely to be ahead.
These Hyundai cars will not be the first all-electric compact crossovers to be sold: Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Model Y and Volkswagen ID.4 are already on the market, and there will be more. These include Audi Q4 e-tron, Nissan Ariya, Subaru Solterra, Toyota bZ4X, and Chevrolet crossover that is expected to be launched in 2023. But while some of these brands will have only one EV crossover by 2025, Hyundai and Kia may each have at least two—perhaps more.
In Hyundai Motor's technical demonstration on the E-GMP platform, several things shocked the EV analyst. In particular, there are four factors that make it stand out: (1) the single-motor version adopts rear-wheel drive; (2) the battery pack can be charged at 800 volts; (3) it can charge at home at a higher speed than today's electric cars; (4) Vehicle owners can use batteries as power sources for electrical appliances, which is called "Vehicle To Load" or V2L capability in modern times.
Rear-wheel drive: Since the 1960s, front-wheel drive has swept the design of small cars because it increased the cab space by eliminating the drive shaft. By using a smaller electric motor between the wheels, this restriction disappears. Although many mass market car companies insist on using FWD electric vehicles, perhaps because it has become a car that many buyers are accustomed to, the Volkswagen Group has placed its motors behind. This can provide a sportier driving feel and more space under the hood (which Volkswagen has not used so far). Hyundai is doing the same thing, which means that the driving pleasure of its electric cars may be unexpected.
800 volts: The battery voltage is meaningless to ordinary consumers, but higher-power batteries can be charged faster-this is important for drivers and electric car shoppers. So far, only Porsche has produced an 800-volt battery pack in its Taycan sports car and related Audi e-tron GT. In the best case, the Taycan can charge 5% to 80% of the battery capacity in just 22 minutes, using a 350-kilowatt charging station only available on the Electrify America network (owned by Porsche’s parent company Volkswagen Group) so far.
It seems that all future Hyundai and Kia electric cars can be charged at a speed similar to Porsche. This is not bad for mass market brands, especially because the current Volkswagen ID.4 electric crossover cannot do this-all other Volkswagen and Audi models will not use the same "MEB" basis. Manufacturing 800-volt batteries for mass-market vehicles is a bold move, and it is the first volume manufacturer to do so. General Motors uses a clever electrical architecture to charge its future cars with 800-volt Ultium batteries, but these battery packs themselves operate at 400V. (In order to preempt the roar from Tesla owners, we should note that a 400-volt Tesla can be charged up to 250 kilowatts for a short time. Lucid has a 900-volt battery pack, but it is almost impossible to compete with companies such as Hyundai and Kia. compete.)
Home charging rate: The Ioniq 5 specification sheet provides some surprises: the car's on-board AC charger can be as high as 10.9 kilowatts. It is assumed that the car owner has installed a level 2 charging station that can provide this rate. This is higher than the 6.6 or 7.2 kW electric vehicle standards of the previous decade. Higher rates provide faster home charging...so, happier owners?
Vehicle loading (V2L) capability: When Ford launched its first hybrid F-150 pickup truck, the ability to use on-board high-voltage batteries to power electrical appliances proved to be a huge selling point. Contractors can power power tools or recharge their battery packs, and all these happy campers or trailing millennials can power their audio equipment, portable refrigerators and everything else. In February, when people in Texas used their trucks to keep lights (and heating) on during the state's historic cold snap and energy crisis, the feature also attracted a lot of attention. For the all-electric F-150 Lightning, Ford has raised the stakes and provides up to 9.6 kW of power output-enough to power a home for up to three days.
Hyundai is still in the "portable device" camp of Ioniq 5, and its maximum power output is limited to 1.9 kW. This is not enough to power your house like the Ford F-150 Lightning, but it can keep your refrigerator or water system running — and the boom boxes and other equipment you will see in glossy ads.
Although the company has issued a broad statement of intent on electrification, industry sources say it is preparing to cut its internal combustion engine and transmission product lines-all of which were developed in-house and are now the most extensive of all major manufacturers. One of the companies-to invest in EV is much faster.
As we enter the 2020s, Hyundai brands have joined the ranks of Toyota, Honda and Nissan as high-selling Asian brands you can rely on. Toyota is known for reliability, Honda is known for more interesting driving, Nissan and Hyundai are both in the category of "value". Each generation of modern cars-they appear more frequently than new models from Nissan-are significantly more stylish, more enjoyable to drive, and better equipped than their predecessors. That is not a bad place.
Kia has a different problem, and the old "perception/reality" ad in Rolling Stone magazine best summarizes this. In the United States, Kia may be a car brand whose perception lags behind the actual situation of the cars it sells today. Since 1998, it has only been a part of modernity. Before that, it was an independent Korean manufacturer that had to declare bankruptcy during the Asian financial crisis in the 1990s. Now, buyers of these two brands sharing engines, platforms, and components cannot see those developed by the parent company’s technology center. But Kia and Hyundai compete fiercely in the market, and their products are far inferior to the lineup of mirrored models cloned by other manufacturers.
By 2019, Kia’s highest-selling model in the United States is the Soul "square box" compact hatchback. It's very practical, but a strange-looking hatchback advertised by a singing hamster is not the image Kia deserves. In 2020, Soul finally gave up the sales champion to Kia's Forte small sedan, Sportage small SUV and Sorento mid-size SUV.
But the future direction of the brand was determined by the Telluride three-row crossover last year. It looks great, has good driving and handling, and has received praise, just like all its work, and it represents a Amazing value, no need for the buyer to compromise and stamp to order one at the dealer. It deservedly won the 2020 North American Utility of the Year Award. [Disclosure: This author is one of more than 50 jurors who vote for the winners of these three awards every year. ]
Since the telluride went on the market, Kia got rid of the hamster, redesigned the logo, and continued to introduce good-looking new cars. Every model it sells is fashionable, and the shape seems to be more refined than the occasional overworked design of its sister brand. The fly in the ointment is a new "global" naming system, which abandons the well-known and recognizable Optima model name for the painkiller "K5". (Obviously, its electric cars will adopt a similar model, starting with "EV6", just like Volkswagen's ID.4, etc. Feh.)
Kia has always been the smart weaker in the modern universe. The Niro is a version of the Hyundai Ioniq high-mileage hybrid, and its style does not echo the Prius hatchback. On the contrary, Kia launched this small station wagon that is almost an SUV on the same basis, and its sales easily surpassed Ioniq. When GM launched the Bolt EV with a range of more than 200 miles, a quick reflection on the Kia Niro EV allowed the car to drive 239 miles when it was launched in 2019, while its Ioniq Electric was 124 miles. Therefore, we are eager to see how the Kia EV6 can compete with the upcoming EV crossover.
Finally, there is Genesis, which is a luxury brand, after starting as a high-end modern car series, it is now on its own. It started slowly, and the sedan was well received, but it missed the center of the market: the premium SUV. However, the GV80 and GV70 crossover utilities released in the past two years are impressive.
We hope that the GV60 will meet the same standards, although unlike its larger gasoline-powered siblings, it does not use a dedicated rear-wheel drive platform, but uses a standard E-GMP formula. Expect it to have the longest list of standard and optional features, as well as two performance adjustments: a "boost" mode that provides extra power in a short period of time, and a "drift" mode that sounds interesting. There is very little about this. Some people say so far.
For writers, trying to predict the future is always dangerous. Reliability, charging infrastructure, and overall adoption rates are huge open issues at the moment. But the wisdom gained from the auto industry shows that Toyota-the most profitable mass market car company in the world-is not afraid of GM, Volkswagen, Stellatis or the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance. However, Hyundai Motor has grown into the world's fifth largest manufacturer in just 30 years, and Toyota is rumored to be afraid of this South Korean company.
As the transformation of electric vehicles shakes up the global automotive industry, it is clear that Volkswagen and General Motors intend to provide more electric vehicles in more market segments, rather than the leader Tesla a decade ago. Seeing Hyundai join them, it should bring us some truly competitive electric vehicles. Errrr, cross.
Are there any hints? Leave us a message: tips@thedrive.com
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