Hyundai adds ANOTHER electric car platform to its arsenal with Canoo’s skateboard architecture

Hyundai Kia is adding another electric car platform to its arsenal as it partners with start-up Canoo to use its skateboard architecture for new EVs.

Just last month we learnt that Hyundai has chucked £85 million at UK start-up Arrival to get their hands on its innovative skateboard platform to underpin a range of eco-friendly vans and buses. But that’s just the start of Hyundai’s ambitions to go big on electric, with Hyundai committed to spending £68 billion in the next five years to realise their electric ambitions.

Hyundai’s next electric move has now been revealed as a tie-up with another start-up, US firm Canoo, to use their skateboard platform as the basis for a new platform for Hyundai and Kia EVs, everything from small EVs up to purpose-built vehicles (PBVs).

Canoo’s clever platform is a self-contained unit which houses all the key components for an electric vehicle, which reduces the size of the skateboard, its weight and number of parts needed, which will allow Hyundai to deliver cheaper electric cars thanks to simplified and standardised development process.

Albert Biermann, Hyundai’s Head of R&D, said:

We were highly impressed by the speed and efficiency in which Canoo developed their innovative EV architecture, making them the perfect engineering partner for us as we transition to become a frontrunner in the future mobility industry.

We will collaborate with Canoo engineers to develop a cost-effective Hyundai platform concept that is autonomous ready and suitable for mass adoption.