[Auto] Hyundai Doubling Its Hybrid Offerings, Will Launch Large Extended-Range EV SUV

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Hyundai is going big on hybrids, not only doubling its current offerings with gas-electric power, but also expanding into new-to-it technologies such as EREV (extended-range electric vehicle) while holding fast to its goal of offering more fully electric options by 2030. That's the takeaway from the automaker's 2024 CEO Investor Day, which was billed as the event where Hyundai would reveal "its new mid- to long-term strategy," the so-called "Hyundai Way."

 

Why So Hybrid?

 

Like practically everyone these days, Hyundai is keeping a close eye on EV sales globally. While demand recently softened somewhat, sales of new electric vehicles continue to rise—only the rate of adoption has slowed, something many are starting to realize was a blip of sorts. The graph for EV sales still looks like it'll go up and to the right for the foreseeable future, and Hyundai is therefore aiming to offer 21 all-electric models by the end of this decade, including a "high-performance" model the company confirmed will be the radical N Vision 74 coupe.

 

Still, buyers seem much more bullish on hybrids in the near term. So, in a bid to diversify its portfolio while satisfying electrification-curious buyers (and, surely, fuel economy regulations), Hyundai has announced it will double its hybrid availability from seven models globally to 14, adding that its luxury arm Genesis, too, will eventually offer hybrid power on every model that isn't a dedicated EV (such as the GV60 SUV).

Today, Hyundai's compact Elantra (pictured above) and midsize Sonata sedans offer hybrid options, as do the compact Tucson and midsize Santa Fe SUVs. Overseas, you can also buy the subcompact Kona SUV with hybrid power, though here you can choose only gas or all-electric. Hyundai says it will "expand the application of its hybrid system beyond compact and midsize cars to small, large, and luxury vehicles."

 

Though Hyundai didn't confirm anything, expect the next-generation Palisade three-row SUV to get the option, along with perhaps the Santa Cruz compact pickup (which easily could adopt the related Tucson's hybrid bits) and the smaller Kona SUV, which, as mentioned, already is offered in hybrid form elsewhere in the world. The rest would presumably come from Genesis's lineup, including the GV70 and GV80 SUVs, G80 and G90 sedans (though the GV80 Coupe and upper-level G90 are technically mild hybrids already).

 

 

Get Ready to EREV Your Backup Engines

 

The other big news from Hyundai is its commitment to launching EREV technology in larger vehicles, and soon. Hyundai promises to have EREV powertrains being produced in North America and China for "D-segment" (so: large) Hyundai and Genesis SUVs to be sold in those markets by the end of 2026, with mass production by 2027. Apparently, Hyundai sees 80,000 annual sales from these.

 

What's EREV mean? It stands for extended-range electric vehicle, and it's distinct from the plug-in hybrids Hyundai and others more commonly offer. As the name implies, it's an EV, with a decent-sized battery powering electric motors that in turn propel the car down the road. The whole range-extender part comes in the form of an internal-combustion engine whose sole purpose is to act as an onboard generator for the electric bits. Simply fill the tank with gas, and you can extend the vehicle's effective range beyond a set radius surrounding an EV charger, with the engine kicking on to generate electricity when the battery's initial charge is depleted. A plug-in hybrid operates differently, typically with far more limited EV-only range, and the gas engine not only can charge up the battery but also is a primary motivator that can directly power the drive wheels, helping propel the vehicle along.

 

 

For a good example of an EREV, look no further than Ram's 1500 Ramcharger pickup truck due out next year. A variant of the all-electric 1500 Rev pickup (confusing name, we know), it has a much smaller battery onboard—but adds in a gas V-6 engine and a fuel tank, which power a generator that extends the truck's range from 140 to 150 miles in EV-only mode to nearly 700 miles. So, use it like an EV around town, and if you ever need to road trip or haul anything without worrying about proximity to chargers or running through the battery too quickly, you can use it like a gas-fed vehicle and rely on the nation's overwhelming network of gas stations.

 

Convenience aside, EREVs are also more cost effective and space efficient—to achieve similar range with batteries alone, a vehicle would need a prohibitively expensive and incredibly large and heavy battery. An engine and a downsized battery, even combined, are far cheaper. Get ready to hear a lot more about EREVs going forward; we recently sniffed out Ford's interest in the technology, and it seems the tech has already begun taking off in China.

 

https://www.motortrend.com/news/hyundai-doubling-hybrids-large-extended-range-ev-suv-erev/