How Electric Vehicle Technology is Reshaping the Auto Industry

The Pivotal Point in the Electric Vehicle War
Is Dedicated Platforms
What are the characteristics of each company’s platform?

As the competition in the electric vehicle market intensifies, each company has started to produce its dedicated platform. Companies that were not initially proactive about electrification built electric vehicles based on internal combustion engine platforms. However, as the market changed, they started the transition.

An electric vehicle platform is the foundation of an electric vehicle, a collection of all systems that drive the electric vehicle. The electric vehicle platform, which includes the vehicle’s power source, drivetrain, and control system, differs significantly from the internal combustion engine platform. Let’s explore these differences and what each company’s flagship platform entails.

What’s the difference between the electric vehicle dedicated platform and the traditional one?

The electric vehicle platform has two main differences from the internal combustion engine platform. The first is the underbody. Since electric vehicles don’t require an exhaust system, the floor is flat, not a tunnel structure. This area is utilized to place batteries and secure space efficiency in the rear seats.

The second difference is in the engine room. In traditional platforms, the engine room safely stored and maintained the engine. Companies invested significant resources in meticulous design and simulation to enhance this function. However, resource reduction is possible in electric vehicles because they equip motors that are much lighter and vibrate less than engines.

Korean companies’ technological capabilities create these platforms

The electric vehicle platform that Korean consumers can most easily encounter is the Hyundai Motor Group’s E-GMP platform. This platform is modular in design and assembly, making it versatile and not limited to a specific segment. Korean models using this platform include the Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Genesis GV60, and it is used for both regular and high-performance models.

GM, the second-largest electric vehicle market in North America, also uses a platform developed in collaboration with a Korean company. This platform is the Ultium platform, created in partnership with LG Energy Solution. It is capable of quickly manufacturing in various forms based on long-axis cells. Vehicles launched based on the Ultium platform include the Cadillac Lyriq and Chevrolet Silverado EV.

Germany, the country of automobiles, has a distinctive platform

Volkswagen’s dedicated electric vehicle platform, MEB, is characterized by a skateboard method and includes a small drivetrain. Thanks to these features, it has secured much more generous interior space than vehicles of the same size. Vehicles based on this platform include the Volkswagen ID series and the Audi e-tron.

BMW introduced its new platform as a technology that challenges limits. The Neue Klasse platform of BMW has three core characteristics: a completely new UX/UI concept, a significantly improved high-performance electric drivetrain and battery, and a new dimension of sustainability. The first vehicle to be produced on this platform in the second half of 2025 is expected to be the iX 3.