Hyundai's Extended-Range EVs May Include Trucks, Santa Fe, Genesis GV70

Hyundai is developing an extended-range EV. The EREV setup will find its way into a lot of segment An EREV pickup truck and at least two EREV SUVs are planned

We've been hearing rumblings for a while now that Korea's Hyundai Motor Group is getting into the extended-range electric vehicle, or EREV game. By making what's essentially an EV with a gas engine as a backup generator, the technology could end range anxiety for good. It's likely to be applied to new Hyundai pickup trucks (including those shared with Kia), but now a report from Korea Economic Daily indicates the Hyundai Santa Fe and Genesis GV70 could go this route as well. 

If you need a refresher, an EREV is slightly different than a typical plug-in hybrid or EV. In an EREV, the propulsion comes solely from the vehicle’s electric motors and battery, while the gas engine is merely on board to charge the batteries; it does not actually power the wheels.

We’ve seen it on cars like the BMW i3 as well as a tweaked version of the concept in the Chevrolet Volt, but it’s also a popular powertrain in places like China. In that country, E-REVs made by Li Auto, Aito, Changan and hold court in China’s New Energy Vehicle sales charts. Closer to home, the upcoming Ram Ramcharger uses this setup as well. 

Details about the Hyundai's mechanical bits are scant, but the post does allege that the project already has a code name and is headed up by Hyundai R&D’s head, Hee-Won Yang. Korea Economic Daily reports that pickup trucks using the tech will go on sale in 2028 or 2029, while the Santa Fe and Genesis GV70 will enter production in "two to three years."  

Whether these would be all-new models or updates to current ones seems unclear. The Genesis GV70, which comes in gas and electric form, has been around a few years now, so they're probably looking to some replacement. The Santa Fe (which uses a different platform than the GV70) is brand new as of last year, so we're wondering if an EREV setup would be an option or a substantial enough change to make it a completely new model.

The EREV trucks would really put Hyundai Motor Group into that game in America, where right now it only has the compact Santa Cruz—and nothing on Kia's end unless the new Tasman truck is confirmed to head our way. Korea Economic Daily claims Hyundai's EREV trucks could compete with the "Ford F-Series, Chevrolet's Silverado and the Ram pickup, as well as Tesla Inc.’s Cybertruck," but if we had to put money on it, we'd guess these trucks will end up on the more compact side of things. 

Either way, this is interesting news for Hyundai. The latest gas-powered Santa Fe reviews well but lost its PHEV variant with the new model changeover. Perhaps it wasn’t a big loss since the PHEV’s dinky electric motor and small range made full EV engine-off driving a chore. In theory, an EREV would make electrified driving easier and smoother.