The drive has begun to stock the Government fleet with electrics by 2025 – sweet timing, perhaps, for an already favoured brand.

ARRIVAL timing of a swathe of battery-compelled Hyundai and Kia products atop a new dedicated electric architecture announced by their parent overnight could time sweetly with Government impetus to shift its fleet into that technology. 

The Government has formally joined 32 other countries around the world in declaring a state of climate emergency for New Zealand, bringing with it a revitalised focus on electrifying its vehicle fleet, thorough prioritising fully electric and hybrid cars, and plans to become carbon neutral by 2025. 

The decision has been welcomed by not-for-profit pressure group Drive Electric, though this organisation - which involves 17 new car - says the move still doesn’t go far enough.

It could be sweet news for Hyundai New Zealand, a Drive Electric member which is already established as the leading provider of electric cars – defined as passenger vehicles that can plug into mains replenishment (which excludes hybrid cars) - for public service usage, with its Ioniq and Kona, though in the overall scheme of things that involvement is token.

Of the 15,000 vehicles that could be defined as Government vehicles, just over 100 vehicles are electric.

Even so, Government has now pledged all of its cars will have some degree of electrification by 2025 and determined to trade in internal combustion vehicles for either fully electric replacements or hybrids if EVs aren’t deemed fit for purpose.

 Quite coincidentally, the announcement timing synched with one overnight from Hyundai, this about a brand-new electric skateboard architecture that will underpin of the electric future for Hyundai and Kia cars and SUVs, as the basis for 23 products coming out between next year and 2025.

 E-GMP (for Electric Global Modular Platform) is a flexible architecture and an undertaking that lifts Hyundai’s electric car development to a much higher level, in that with exception of the batteries, it’s an entirely in-house achievement, requiring no reliance of components sourced from outside suppliers, as has been necessary with the current Hyundai-Kia electrics: Ioniq hatch and the Kona and Kia Niro SUVs.

With E-GMP every aspect, even motor design, is brought in-house: The same process Telsa undertakes.

 Hyundai’s underpinning is a rear-drive set-up that can also format, with addition of a second motor, to all-wheel-drive. It enables a range of up to 500km, develop as much as 447kW and take just 18 minutes to reach 80 percent battery capacity when using a high-speed charger.

The first vehicle on this new platform is the Ioniq 5, which has so far only been seen in concept form (where it was called the 45). Ioniq 5, should not be confused (but probably will be) with the current Ioniq, which presents in mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric form.

Hyundai announced earlier this year it intends to start a whole new EV sub-brand, akin to Volkswagen’s ID line, called … Ioniq. The Ioniq 5 is the first of the new family’s products. It’s a medium crossover, larger than the Ioniq hatch.

But that’s just a pathfinder. E-GMP is intended for 23 new Hyundai, Genesis and Kia vehicles in car and SUV formats over the next four years, including a high-performance model that will be shown off next year.

That car will be capable of 0-100kmh in less than 3.5 seconds and have a top speed of 260km/h, with rear- and all-wheel-drive versions available. To save energy, the front motor on the latter will decouple from the wheels when it's not needed.

 Hyundai has not shared details on battery pack size, but said that it's targeting 500 kilometres of range – a sizeable leap on the abilities from its current electric products.

By bundling the components, Hyundai said, it raised the maximum speed of the motor by up to 70 percent compared to existing motors, despite its small size.  

EVs based on the new platform will be capable of charging to 80 percent in 18 minutes, thanks to an 800-volt architecture that supports charging speeds up to 350kW. A five-minute charge can add about 100km.

The E-GMP also supports bidirectional charging; meaning that it can – in markets that allow this - can be configured to discharge its energy from its battery back to the grid or to a house. The vehicle-to-load (V2L) function supplies 3.5 kW of power which, according to Hyundai, can operate a mid-size air conditioner and a 55-inch TV for 24 hours. Alternately, it can be used to charge another EV.

The national distributor for Kia says it has no comment to make about E-GMP. Hyundai NZ has yet to respond to an invitation to provide its thoughts.