Hyundai Motor Group Achieves Top Rating in Global Crash Test for E-GMP Electric Vehicles

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Hyundai Motor Group announced on the 25th that electric vehicles based on the dedicated electric vehicle platform E-GMP (Electric-Global Modular Platform) have all received the highest ratings in major global crash tests conducted so far. This proves that the safety technology accumulated from internal combustion engine vehicles has secured high competitiveness in electric vehicles as well.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the United States, renowned for conducting the world's most rigorous crash test evaluations, announced the crash test results for three dedicated electric vehicles from Hyundai Motor Group this year. As a result, Hyundai’s Ioniq 5, Kia’s EV6, and Genesis GV60 all received the highest rating, the ‘Top Safety Pick Plus (TSP+).’

Derived electric vehicle models that are not dedicated EVs also received the highest rating from IIHS. The electrified Genesis G80 model was evaluated to meet all safety criteria in the crash test results announced on the 20th (local time), earning the TSP+ rating.

To receive the TSP+ rating from IIHS, a vehicle must earn the highest rating of ‘Good’ in all six crash safety categories: driver-side small overlap, passenger-side small overlap, front crash, side crash, roof strength, and head restraint.

Additionally, the vehicle must achieve a rating of ‘Advanced’ or higher in the front crash prevention system test and a rating of ‘Acceptable’ or higher in the headlight evaluation across all trims. Thanks to the strong performance of electric vehicle models in this year’s IIHS evaluation, Hyundai Motor Group achieved the remarkable feat of having a total of 15 models, including internal combustion engine vehicles, earn the TSP+ rating.

Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated electric vehicle models also demonstrated top safety performance in Europe. The Ioniq 5 received the highest five-star rating last year from Euro NCAP, Europe’s new car safety assessment program. In May and September of this year, the EV6 and GV60 achieved the highest rating, followed by the Ioniq 6 in November, proving their outstanding safety.

Moreover, the Ioniq 5 earned five stars in the crash evaluation conducted by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and in the ‘2021 Automobile Safety Assessment (KNCAP)’ announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport last year, both the Ioniq 5 and EV6 received the highest grade of 1.

The excellent safety of Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated electric vehicle models can be attributed to the E-GMP platform. E-GMP incorporates an optimized structure for electric vehicles, including the battery, motor, body, and chassis, along with revolutionary safety designs that prioritize occupant safety in various situations.

On this day, Hyundai Motor Group released a technical video on online channels such as YouTube and social media, showcasing the history of body crash safety development accumulated over a long period, from the first-generation platform in the late 2000s to the recent third-generation platform and the E-GMP.

The video was prepared to revisit Hyundai Motor Group’s safety philosophy for customers and to demonstrate the advanced body technology that protects passengers during collisions. It was produced to be easily understood by anyone by showing changes in the body design of key parts compared to previous platforms through 3D animation effects.

The first-generation platform’s main features include enhanced strength of the front back beam and front side members, the addition of a dash cross member, and a high-strength structure for the center pillar and side sill. It also actively adopted the hot stamping process, which significantly increases the strength of steel plates, greatly improving the retention of the passenger compartment during collisions.

The second-generation platform developed in the 2010s aimed to secure safety against frontal, side, and rear collisions by more robustly connecting each part that forms the load path (the shortest path where load is applied), increasing the proportion of ultra-high-strength steel plates to 51%. The use of structural adhesives was expanded to 110 meters, significantly enhancing body rigidity.

The third-generation platform, unveiled with the launch of the 8th generation Sonata in 2019, represents the pinnacle of Hyundai Motor Group’s body safety technology. It completed the so-called ‘multi-skeleton structure’ by adding front structures and changing member configurations. Features include optimized load paths and strengthened roof rails and front back beams.

Hyundai Motor Group’s platform design principle, based on fundamental body safety design, has been fully inherited in the dedicated electrification platform E-GMP. E-GMP is equipped with innovative features such as the world’s first 400V/800V multi-fast charging system and bi-directional V2L. It also ensures thorough safety, a fundamental aspect of automotive platforms.

Fundamentally, the design aims not only to protect passengers but also to minimize impact on the battery. While increasing overall body rigidity, aluminum extrusions were applied inside the side sill located beside the battery. Additionally, a lattice-structured internal battery reinforcement and high-strength body cross members were added to respond to all collision energies that may occur during driving. Furthermore, to protect rear-seat passengers and the high-voltage battery during rear collisions, structures that induce deformation inside the body to mitigate impact were also installed.

A Hyundai Motor Group official stated, “In addition to body safety technology, Hyundai Motor Group has received high praise from major global automotive safety evaluation organizations for world-first technologies applied to airbags and ADAS systems implemented regardless of vehicle class. We will continue to focus all our capabilities on developing the best products based on our customer-first safety philosophy.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.