The Hyundai-Kia group has positioned itself for future electric vehicle (EV) production by getting from a mine site in Australia supplies of a rare earth critical to electric motors.
The rare earth is Neodymium-Praseodymium (NdPr) oxide. It has a powerful magnetic quality and is a key ingredient in the manufacture of high-performance electric motors. Currently, China produces around 80 per cent of the world’s supplies of NdPr.
NdPr magnets are the most powerful, at least 10 times the strength for the same weight as conventional magnets. Australian company Arafura Resources produces NdPr at its Nolans mine and processing plant, about 135km north of Alice Springs.
It recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Hyundai-Kia and expects to deliver between 1000 and 1500 tonnes of NdPr to the carmaker when their seven-year agreement begins in 2025.
That’s the year when the South Korean affiliate is expected to further develop its 800-volt circuitry, the bee’s knees of EV architecture. It’s already in use in New Zealand in two of the group’s models, both crossovers: the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the 2022 World Car of the Year, and the Kia EV6, the 2022 European Car of the Year. The only two other carmakers using 800v in New Zealand are Volkswagen Group nameplates Porsche and Audi.
Both the Ioniq 5 and EV6 are built on the group’s Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) and both share hardware, although styling and dimensions here and there differ. For example, the EV6 sits lower, has a slightly shorter wheelbase, and looks appreciably more modern.
Industry analysts expect 2025 to be when most new EVs coming on to the global market will have 800v technology. The 800v adoption rate will gallop along. American EV maker Lucid Motors already uses a 924v system in its Air sedan, one of the reasons why the Air has a range of 850km from its energy-dense 118kWh battery. Lucid’s CEO is mechanical engineer Peter Rawlinson, the former chief engineer of the Tesla Model S.
By the end of the decade, higher voltage architectures will dominate. That’s when EVs will account for 40% of global new car sales, predicts investment bank UBS. Analysis firm IHS Markit is slightly more conservative: it says that by 2030 one in four new passenger vehicles will be EVs.
Most EVs everywhere are based on 400 volts. Thank the original Toyota Prius hybrid for that. Its batteries and electric motors were designed around a 400-volt system, at the time compatible with existing electrical infrastructure. Rival EVs adopted the same system.
Typical chargers for 400v provide 50kW only. The hyper chargers for 800v provide 300/350kW. Such chargers are thin on the ground in New Zealand but they allow a vehicle like the Kia EV6 to charge its 77.4kWh battery from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes. Hook the EV6 up to a 50kW connection and 10%-80% will take 70-80 minutes. The EV6 is also available with a 58.0kWh pack.
The switch to a 800v system allows for big efficiency gains, mainly faster charging from compatible charging stations (again, they are few and far between in NZ) and greater range. Faster charging also allows for more energy recovery – regeneration – when lifting off the accelerator. Result is less heat loss.
There are other benefits. A higher voltage system allows a lower current, or rate of flow, to be used when recharging the battery under regeneration. This reduces overheating. Thinner wires can be used in the circuitry and less copper in the electric motors. Result is less weight.
An EV has to operate smoothly and predictably from zero revs to as many as twenty-plus thousand. What allows it to do this is the inverter, the unsung hero of EVs.
The electronic device uses power transistors as switches to convert direct current (DC) from the vehicle’s battery pack into three separate phases: alternating current (AC) to spin the vehicle’s electric motor one way, back into DC to spin the motor another way for regeneration, and, finally, to control motor speed when you’re on the accelerator. Simply, EVs would not function without inverters.
What especially highlights the role of 800v circuitry in the Kia EV6 is the regenerative braking, one of the vehicle’s many standout features. There are six levels: zero, which allows the EV6 to coast freely; 1-2-3 primary modes; an auto mode; and i-Pedal, a one-pedal mode where regenerative braking is at its most efficient.
Its benefits include:
- Extending the EV6’s range
- Extending the braking system’s life
- Lessening wear and tear on the hydraulic braking system
- Less hydraulic brake usage means less polluting brake dust in the air.
Drivers can switch between levels via paddles on the steering wheel. The left paddle boosts regenerative braking, the right decreases it. In 1-2-3 modes, 1 scrubs off speed, while 2 and 3 actively slow down the vehicle. Rear brake lights come on in 2 and 3.
The EV6 can be driven manual-like in modes 1-2-3, downshifting on the left paddle and upshifting on the right paddle. Getting the shifting balance in tune with the throttle while pushing on through the twisty bits reveals unexpected dynamic responses from what, after all, is a two-tonne EV: steering is accurate and ride and changes of direction well controlled, thanks partly to suspension system which uses an extra piston in the shock absorbers to adjust to changing road surfaces. It’s called Sensitivity Damping Control (SDC).
You can also let the car itself do its thing: pull the left paddle twice quickly and the Kia EV6 sets to i-Pedal. This allows the EV6 to slow to a gentle halt the moment you lift off. You rarely have to brake. When you do, the brake system – discs all round – fluently blends regenerative and mechanical braking.
Adding to the mix are three drive modes: Eco, Normal, and Sport. Each one changes the response, or weight under foot, of the accelerator pedal, in effect encouraging the driver to make smoother inputs. Whatever mode you select, the EV6 remains an engaging drive, although Sport’s sharper throttle and steering responses demands attention.
There is so much clever stuff going on with the EV6, inside and out. Riding shotgun with the whizzbang technology is a full suite of the latest active safety systems, among them autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and traffic sign recognition.
The clever stuff includes the radar-based Remote Smart Park Assist, which allows the EV6 to be driven in and out of a parking space from the key fob, with the owner standing alongside the car.
The EV6 has a design all its own, more a crossover than a low-slung SUV. It’s a singular example of the move by EV stylists away from traditional automotive design, especially around the front and rear. The only difference between the base model EV6 and the top-range GT-Line is the GT-Line is a touch longer and wider – 4695mm and 1890mm against 4680mm and 1880mm. Both share the same 1550mm height and 2900mm wheelbase.
Inside, the stand-out feature in what is a roomy and modern cabin with a premium feel about it is the dual display, which sweeps across more than half the width of the dash and is made up of two 12.3-inch displays. It’s an engine room of hardware/software that visually tells you everything you need to know about what makes the EV6 tick and how you can personalise it to suit.
Kia NZ offers a choice of rear-wheel (RWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD) options, with a claimed maximum range of around 520km, depending on the model and the 58.0kWh or 77.4kWh battery choices.
The base model Air ($77,990) gets the smaller battery and RWD and delivers 125kW/350Nm. The AWD Air ($83,990) uses electric motors front and rear and generates 170kW/400Nm from the bigger battery. Both ride on 19-inch alloys.
The AWD Earth model ($99,990) also gets 19-inch wheels but power from the 77.4kWh battery is boosted to 240kW/600Nm, the torque sent 350Nm to the rear and 255Nm to the front. The premium AWD GT-Line ($111,990) gets the same battery and dual motors but uses 20-inch wheels.
The most powerful EV6 is likely to land here early next year. It’s the EV6 GT and runs a dual motor powertrain delivering 430kW, a 0-100km/h sprint time of 3.5 seconds, and a top speed of 260km/h.
EV6 might just be the most complete battery-electric model on the NZ market. Pity the price jumped by $5000 on each model from the launch ticket some months ago. Back then the $77,990 RWD Air was $72,990 and the $83,990 AWD Air $78,990, both of which came in under the government’s $80,000 ceiling for the $8625 Clean Car discount. Now only the RWD Air qualifies.
- At the end of June, 311 EV6s had been registered with the NZ Transport Agency.