현대차그룹과 폭스바겐그룹의 스케이트보드 형태 플랫폼과 테슬라와 BYD의 배터리를 차체로 이용하는 형태의 CTB 기술이 적용된 플랫폼 등 전기차의 근간이 되는 플랫폼의 개발이 지속되고 있다.
Hyundai, Volkswagen adopt skateboard platform
Tesla, BYD Develop Platform for Embedding Batteries in Vehicle Body
[Editor's Note] With the electric vehicle market expected to reach 3,500 trillion won by 2030, automakers are expanding their electric vehicle portfolios based on their own platforms. Unlike internal combustion engine vehicles, electric vehicles can adjust the size and battery capacity of the vehicle with a single platform, so companies are accelerating platform development. This magazine will serialize the platform that forms the basis of electric vehicles in three parts to learn about the platform trends and characteristics of electric vehicle powerhouses such as Tesla and Hyundai Motor Group. This article is the first in a series that explores trends in electric vehicle-only platforms.
Development of platforms that serve as the basis for electric vehicles is actively underway, including Hyundai Motor Group and Volkswagen Group's skateboard-style platforms and Tesla and BYD's CTB (Cell-to-Body) technology-based platforms that use batteries as the body of the vehicle.
Automakers that produce electric vehicles have introduced various models of electric vehicles based on their own technology-intensive platforms.
Skateboard-style platforms like Hyundai Motor Group's E-GMP are common, but Tesla and BYD have also taken it a step further by applying CTB technology.
The electric vehicle platform has the advantage of being able to produce various types of vehicles as needed, as it is a dedicated chassis that contains the core components of a car, such as the powertrain, body, and suspension.
Because it is possible to produce a variety of models, production costs including labor costs can be significantly reduced, and development periods can also be shortened.
Currently, most companies have adopted skateboard-shaped platforms inspired by the HighWire concept car unveiled by GM in 2002, and representative examples include Hyundai Motor Group's E-GMP and Volkswagen Group's MEB platform.
▲Hyundai Motor Group E-GMP (Image source: Hyundai Motor Group)
The skateboard platform can maximize battery capacity and lower the center of gravity, which allows for space efficiency. Additionally, it has the feature of being able to vary the class by adjusting the battery capacity mounted on the platform.
▲Volkswagen MEB platform (Image source: Volkswagen)
Additionally, the skateboard-shaped platform features a battery pack positioned widely on the bottom to ensure rigidity and prevent greater injuries in the event of a collision.
Based on the above features, Hyundai Motor Group has also maximized the advantages of the electric vehicle platform, which can be expanded from the 5-seater IONIQ 5 to the 7-seater EV9, with the electric vehicle-only platform E-GMP.
The Volkswagen Group also presented a variety of models based on the MEB platform. Representative models include Audi’s Q4, 5 e-tron, Volkswagen ID. 3, 4, 5, and electric vehicles from SEAT and Škoda.
Meanwhile, Tesla began mass producing the Model S in 2014 using a platform that was much ahead of Hyundai Motor Group. Since then, Model Y has been produced based on the same platform, sharing 75% of its parts with Model 3, enabling efficient production.
Various electric vehicle companies, including Tesla, are choosing to optimize battery structures to reduce platform weight.
▲Tesla CEO Elon Musk is making an announcement at Battery Day 2020 (Photo source: Tesla YouTube)
At Battery Day 2020, Elon Musk introduced a completely new concept in which the battery becomes part of the body of the car, announcing the Structural Battery format instead of the traditional skateboard-style platform.
Taking inspiration from using the wings of a battery as a fuel tank, the Structural Battery is a groundbreaking idea that allows the battery pack to act as a body structure that connects the front and rear underbody parts.
Regarding the Structural Battery implemented in the Model Y vehicle, Elon Musk announced at the event that this is a way to reduce the vehicle's weight by 10% and increase its driving range by 14%.
China's BYD also applied Cell-to-Body (CTB) technology to its Haibao model last year, integrating blade batteries into the car body. By simplifying the structure, the internal space utilization of the battery system was increased to 66%, and diversity in the design and structure of electric vehicles was sought.
▲Platform with BYD’s CTB technology applied (Image source: BYD)
IEEE Co-Chair Roberto Saracco expressed a positive view of the innovative method for reducing the overall weight of a vehicle, but also a critical view that the method may have repair problems as the entire vehicle must be replaced even in a minor accident, and difficulties in replacing the battery.
Meanwhile, there are also models that accommodate the platform of internal combustion engine vehicles. A representative model is the Genesis G80 electrified model released in 2021.
This model does not use Hyundai Motor Group's proud E-GMP, but uses the same platform as internal combustion engine vehicles.
Although it is not based on E-GMP, it is capable of ultra-fast charging and V2L and shows a similar level of performance to the Ioniq 5.
On the other hand, there are evaluations that the usability of the interior space is lower than that of the model that applied E-GMP, the back seat is narrow, and it may be uncomfortable for tall people.
Industry insiders predicted that it would be inefficient to develop a two-track electric vehicle platform and an electric vehicle derived from an internal combustion engine vehicle, and that the Genesis model, a luxury sedan, would also be developed as a dedicated platform in the future.
The competition among automakers to develop electric vehicle-only platforms is expected to continue.
As we release various models based on the platform, it takes a long time to go through various tests, such as safety in the event of a collision and damage to the battery pack depending on road conditions when driving on the road.
The Tesla Model Y platform alone took 10 years to design and about 11 years to be delivered to its first customer, so the technology is not completed overnight.
The Volkswagen Group is developing the Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), the next-generation platform that will succeed the electric vehicle platform MEB, and will feature full digitalization and great scalability.
The Volkswagen Group plans to produce all of its segment models based on SSP, with Audi planning to apply SSP technology to its mass-produced models in 2025, and Volkswagen in 2026.
Hyundai Motor Group is also pulling the reins.
Hyundai Motor Group plans to introduce a vehicle using eM, a new electric vehicle-only platform, in 2025.>
eM is currently being developed with the goal of achieving Level 3 or higher autonomous driving technology and standardizing OTA, and is expected to reduce manufacturing costs by more than 20% and improve driving range by more than 50% compared to current electric vehicles.