Car manufacturers Hyundai and Kia join hands with Canoo and Arrival. Both companies are responsible for developing their own 'skateboard platform' for electric vehicles. Canoo's platform will form the basis for Hyundai and Kia electric passenger cars, while Arrival's platform will form the basis for small and medium-sized electric commercial vehicles for share car companies and logistics companies.
Canoo is a US startup focused on developing electric vehicles that will be offered exclusively as subscription services. The vehicles are based on a skateboard platform developed in-house by Canoo. This platform contains the most critical components of the vehicle, including the batteries and electric powertrain.
Functional integration
The design of the platform focuses on functional integration. This means that all components perform as many functions as possible. This approach helps reduce the size, weight and total number of components of the platform. According to Canoo, this leads to more interior space and more cost-effective vehicles.
The skateboard platform is a stand-alone component, which allows the platform to be combined with any body design. Hyundai Motor Group wants to take advantage of this by using the platform as the basis for future vehicles from both Hyundai and Kia. In doing so, the company aims to reduce the development costs of the vehicles, which should translate into a lower selling price of the vehicles.
Standardised development process for EVs
"Hyundai Motor Group expects a customisable all-electric platform based on Canoo's scalable skateboard architecture to create a simplified and standardised development process for Hyundai and Kia electric vehicles. This helps reduce costs, which can be passed on to consumers. Hyundai Motor Group also expects to reduce the complexity of its assembly line for electric vehicles, allowing it to respond quickly to changing market demand and customer preferences," the carmaker wrote in a press release.
As part of the collaboration, Canoo will provide technical services to further develop the platform together with Hyundai Motor Group. The platform should be suitable for a variety of vehicle models, ranging from small electric vehicles to 'Purpose Built Vehicles'. These include tailor-made vehicles for mobility services.
Cost-effective platform concept
"We are impressed by the speed and efficiency with which Canoo has developed its innovative EV architecture. This makes them the perfect technical partners for us as we develop into a forerunner in the future mobility sector," explained Albert Biermann, head of research and development at Hyundai Motor Group. "We are working with engineers from Canoo to develop a cost-effective Hyundai platform concept that is ready for autonomous driving and suitable for large-scale embrace."
"We have been working hard to develop a bold new vehicle. Collaborating with a global leader like Hyundai is an affirming moment for our young company," Ulrich Kranz, Chie Executive Officer of Canoo, said in a comment. "It is an honour to help Hyundai explore EV architecture concepts for their future models."
100 million euro investment in Arrival
At the same time, Hyundai and Kia announced that they are investing 100 million euros in Arrival, which also has its own skateboarding platform. Hyundai is putting 80 million euros into the company, while Kia is investing 20 million euros. Arrival sets itself the goal of providing clean electric vehicles at the price of cars with a traditional internal combustion engine. "We believe that clean technology should have no extra cost," the company writes on its website.
"Arrival's scalable platform forms the basis for various types of Purpose Built Vehicles that Kia and Hyundai plan to develop together. The cooperation will enable Kia and Hyundai to respond to the rapidly growing demand for eco-friendly commercial vehicles in Europe on the one hand, and to transform from carmakers to clean mobility providers on the other," Kia writes in a press release.
More demand due to stricter environmental regulations
The cooperation contract was signed by Albert Biermann, President & Head of Research & Development Division for Hyundai Motor Group, and Denis Sverdlov, Chief Executive Officer of Arrival. "The eco-friendly vehicle market in Europe is expected to grow rapidly due to the introduction of stricter environmental regulations," said Biermann. "By developing electric commercial vehicles together with Arrival, we are able to gain a competitive advantage and gradually establish our leadership in the global eco-friendly vehicle market, with Europe at the forefront."
Denis Sverdlov of Arrival added: "Arrival has created a pioneering product category with its electric Generation 2.0 vehicles. Kia and Hyundai share our vision of the future for electric mobility. Our strategic partnership with Hyundai and Kia means we can start scaling up the introduction of our Generation 2 electric vehicles globally already in the very near future."
Canoo's first own vehicle
Canoo introduced its first own electric vehicle just a few months ago. This car was announced just 19 months after the company was founded in December 2017. It is a vehicle that can accommodate seven passengers. The model accelerates to 100km/h in less than seven seconds thanks to a 300hp electric motor. The top speed is around 200km/h. The vehicle's batteries can be charged to 80% capacity in 28 minutes. Fully charged, the batteries offer a range of 250 miles, or over 400 kilometres in conversion. The driving weight is 2,020 kilograms.
More information on Canoo is available here. More information on Arrival is available here.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
