Hyundai and Kia are boosting their electric car lineups with new model launches such as the Ioniq 5 and the EV6, with an equivalent Genesis GV60 crossover arriving before the end of the year. The backbone of the South Korean conglomerate’s EV assault is the new E-GMP platform, which will underpin everything from minivans and sedans to sports cars and SUVs.
It would appear one of the upcoming EVs is going to take the shape of a little city car, and while it’s unclear whether it will sit on the E-GMP architecture, it’s coming as early as 2023. The disclosure comes from Hyundai Motor Group’s powertrain partner BorgWarner as the two parties have inked a deal for a new model that uses an integrated electric drive module. It bundles the electric motor and transmission into a single unit to save up space, which is extremely precious when dealing with a small car.
While the e-motor is rated at a maximum output of 181 horsepower (135 kilowatts), it seems unlikely Hyundai and/or Kia will unlock its full potential for a city-oriented EV. As pointed out by Auto Express, the integrated electric drive module conceived by BorgWarner benefits from a modular inverter, allowing the engineers to limit power to around 100 hp, which would be adequate for a subcompact car.
We also know the pint-sized EV is being developed to support a 400V architecture, which should translate into nearly 100 miles (161 kilometers) of range after 30 minutes of charging provided the owner uses a 50-kW DC fast-charger. Since its footprint will be smaller than that of the Kona EV, the city car’s battery pack will likely be downsized, with the British magazine claiming it will be around 40 kWh. That should give it enough juice for roughly 322 kilometers (200 miles) between recharging cycles.
Based on the deal between Hyundai Motor Group and BorgWarner, the petite EV is set to enter production by mid-2023. That tells us an official reveal could take place towards the end of 2022 or early the next year.
Source: Auto Express
