Hyundai Motor Group and Canoo will jointly develop an all-electric platform based on Canoo’s fully scalable, proprietary skateboard design (earlier post) for upcoming Hyundai and Kia EVs and PBVs (purpose-built vehicles) (earlier post).

As part of the collaboration, Canoo will provide engineering services to help develop a fully scalable, all-electric platform to meet Hyundai and Kia specifications. Hyundai Motor Group expects the platform to help facilitate its commitment to delivering cost-competitive electrified vehicles that meet diverse customer needs.

Canoo, a Los Angeles based company creating EVs for subscription only, offers a skateboard platform which houses the most critical components of the vehicle with a strong emphasis on functional integration, meaning all components fulfill as many functions as possible.

This feat of engineering reduces the skateboard size, weight and total number of parts, which ultimately provides more interior cabin space and a more cost-effective EV offering. In addition, the Canoo skateboard is a self-contained unit that can be paired with any cabin design.

Hyundai Motor Group expects an adaptable all-electric platform using Canoo’s scalable skateboard architecture to allow for a simplified and standardized development process for Hyundai and Kia electrified vehicles, which is expected to help reduce cost that can be passed along to consumers. Hyundai Motor Group also expects to reduce complexity of its EV assembly line, allowing for rapid response to changing market demands and customer preferences.

With this collaboration, Hyundai Motor Group doubles down on its recent commitment to invest US$87 billion over the next five years to foster future growth. (Earlier post.) As part of this drive, Hyundai plans to invest $52 billion USD in future technologies through 2025, while Kia will invest $25 billion USD in electrification and future mobility technologies, aiming for eco-friendly vehicles to comprise 25% of its total sales by 2025.

Hyundai and Kia both recently announced plans to develop fully electric PBVs. Hyundai presented its first PBV concept as a key pillar of its smart mobility solution strategy at CES 2020 in January. At its CEO Investor Day on 14 January, Kia announced its plan to develop PBVs tailored for shared-service companies and logistics companies.

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.

—Albert Biermann, Head of Research & Development, Hyundai Motor Group

Canoo unveiled its first electric vehicle for subscription in September 2019, just 19 months after the company’s founding in December 2017. Canoo’s proprietary skateboard architecture, which directly houses the batteries and electric drivetrain, has enabled Canoo to reimagine EV design in a way that challenges traditional automotive shape and functionality.

Canoo reached Beta testing phase within 19 months of inception, and the company recently opened the waitlist for its first vehicle. This is a major milestone for the company and the culmination of the efforts of 300+ experts working to deliver a proof of concept of Canoo’s backbone architectural systems.

Canoo’s first vehicle will launch in 2021, and is designed for a world in which transportation is becoming increasingly electric, shared and autonomous.