Driven by regulations, the future of passenger vehicles is increasingly going to be dependent more on battery cells and electric motors and less on fuel tanks and spark plugs. Hyundai hasn’t been at the forefront with electrification technology, but the company has taken a pragmatic and bifurcated approach—developing a full slate of hybrid and plug-in-hybrid models on one side, and dedicated electric vehicles on the other.
In a recent release discussing its next-generation fuel-cell vehicle, expected to be revealed in early 2018 around the time of the Seoul Winter Olympics, the company had some important announcements about vehicles that plug in. Among them: Hyundai disclosed that it’s working on a long-range, 310-mile electric vehicle, due after 2021, and that it’s developing its first dedicated architecture for EVs—implying that, like Volkswagen with its upcoming EV-centric MEB architecture, it’s potentially working on a whole set of vehicles that will not use internal-combustion engines.
Hyundai previously had revealed a few other details about this longer-range EV, including that it would have a larger footprint than the Ioniq—perhaps partly to create plenty of battery-packaging space. The automaker hasn’t yet said anything about the creation of an electric-only sub-brand—such as what Mercedes-Benz aims to create with its EQ brand or what Volkswagen might do with its I.D. vehicles.
At present, Hyundai’s sole fully electric model, the Ioniq Electric, is only available in California. The Ioniq plug-in hybrid, which will arrive this fall, will be offered in 10 states, although people in other states will be able to order it.
“Hyundai Motor’s electric vehicle development will take place in multiple phases,” said the company, in a release detailing a few more important milestones toward electrifying its lineup. Hyundai confirmed calendar-year 2018 timing for the launch of an all-electric version of the Kona compact SUV, with a range of about 240 miles. The automaker had already disclosed that it intends, through a battery upgrade, to extend the Ioniq electric’s battery range past 200 miles as soon as 2018.
Hyundai also confirmed that its Genesis luxury brand will get an all-electric model in 2021. In the meantime, the automaker said in its release that it would be expanding its lineup of hybrid offerings for SUVs and large vehicles, and expanding the use of its transmission-mounted electrical device (TMED) hybrid system—currently used in the Sonata and the Ioniq—to models with rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. In all, Hyundai and Kia combined will get 31 “eco-friendly models,” according to the parent company.
In a federal regulatory landscape that could potentially be changing, that’s a strategy that could work well for Hyundai. It has for Toyota, which boasted earlier this year that it passed 10 million cumulative hybrid sales globally and more than 3 million in the United States. Hyundai is unlikely ever to catch up with that; but with Toyota’s long-range EV not due until 2022, Hyundai has a chance to be a technology leader, not a laggard, this time.
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