Hyundai Mobis Builds a Full EV Drive Lineup With New Power Electric Systems

Hyundai Mobis (KRX: 012330) said it has developed a 160-kilowatt Power Electric (PE) system for general-purpose electric vehicles, expanding a drive-unit lineup that the auto-parts maker is positioning for global automakers. The company unveiled the new system on May 7, following the high-performance 250-kilowatt PE unit it completed last year.

A PE system is the electric equivalent of an internal-combustion powertrain, combining a motor, an inverter and a reduction gear. Where Hyundai Mobis previously mass-produced such systems to customer orders, it says it has now secured the design know-how for each component through in-house research and is offering its own drive models.

The supplier said it focused on standardizing and modularizing core parts, including the motor stator, the inverter and the power module that bundles power semiconductors. Treating the system like a platform lets a single design scale across many vehicles, an approach the company argues is more efficient than engineering a new powertrain for every model launch.

The 160-kilowatt unit delivers maximum output equivalent to about 215 horsepower, a level Hyundai Mobis says suits most electric vehicles now in production. Installing two systems on the front and rear axles doubles the output. Despite being designed as a universal model, the unit raised specific power by roughly 16 percent and cut overall volume by nearly 20 percent, aided by new cooling technology and energy-efficient power semiconductors.

Hyundai Mobis plans to finish a smaller 120-kilowatt PE system aimed at compact cars and emerging markets within the first half of the year. Together with the 160- and 250-kilowatt units, that would complete a drive-system range spanning small mobility to high-performance vehicles.

The development pushes the company's electrification portfolio beyond battery systems, where it has already won overseas orders, and into the powertrain business. Hyundai Mobis said it intends to pitch the new systems to global customers, some of whom have already expressed interest, and expects better profitability now that it can handle both design and mass production.