Hyundai’s new technology will make owners say goodbye to this electric vehicle problem

During an appearance at Bernstein’s annual Strategic Decisions Conference in May, Ford CEO Jim Farley eagerly shared a mobility solution he envisioned as appropriate for the American auto market.

Fresh off a 10-day trip to China, Farley preached about EREVs, or extended-range electric vehicles. These are all-electric vehicles with an on-board generator (usually a gas engine) that charges the battery whenever needed, extending its range.

Unlike plug-in hybrids, EREVs virtually eliminate the need for owners to deal with America’s underdeveloped EV charging infrastructure or wait for the “charging hogs” that make charging EVs difficult; the only “refueling” that can take place would be at a gas station.

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Ford’s CEO argued that these “in-between” vehicles could convert America’s EV skeptics into EV believers and prove very profitable for automakers.

“They don’t drive like combustion engine vehicles, so you get an EV and you get 700 miles of range. You don’t have autonomy anxiety for a long trip. You don’t have to rely on any tax,” Farley. said. “And those vehicles have half the batteries, so they’re very profitable.”

“It is a good solution; that’s why it’s popular in China, that’s why it doubled its sales in China, and we really like this solution.”

Although EREVs are not mentioned in Ford’s radically revised EV plans, one of Ford’s competitors may have a head start on the technology that has its CEO fascinated.

2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) at AutoMobility LA ahead of Los Angeles Auto Show

Bloomberg/Getty Images

Meet “xEV”

According to a report by Korea Economic Daily, Hyundai Motor Group, the parent company of Hyundai and Kia, is developing its own state-of-the-art powertrains with extended-range electric vehicle technology.

Hyundai officials who spoke to KED noted that the exploration of EREV technology, dubbed “xEV” by Hyundai, is the result of examining the realities of traditional battery electric vehicle ownership. They found that battery electric vehicles like their Ioniq series have limited range and suffer from a lack of EV infrastructure, which can be huge barriers to EV adoption.

Korea’s EV sets Paranoia on fire

Additionally, growing skepticism toward electric vehicles in Hyundai’s home country of South Korea is prompting the automaker to pursue traditional electric vehicles before fully committing to traditional electric vehicles.

According to the Korea JoongAng Daily, authorities in the country’s capital and largest city, Seoul, were shaken by a horrific electric vehicle fire in an underground parking lot. The fire damaged 880 nearby vehicles and left 1,600 households without electricity and water for a week.

As a result, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is proposing new rules that would restrict the access of electric vehicles charged at more than 90% to underground parking lots and impose an 80% charging limit for rapid charges in the Seoul metro area.

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However, a Hyundai official who spoke to KED noted that the new technology will help car owners transition to fully electric vehicles. They noted that amid the ups and downs of the EV transition, automakers are currently in a period of “suffering” that can be resolved by providing a diverse range of electrified vehicles.

Hyundai is not exempt from “suffering”; as of July 13, Hyundai Motor Group’s global wholesale electric vehicle sales fell 34%.

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“Global automakers will enter a suffering period of at least two to three years starting in the second half of this year,” a Hyundai Motor official told KED. “Hybrids and EREVs are our weapons to fight this battle.”

Range extenders have been used in vehicles like the BMW i3 compact and the upcoming Ram 1500 Ramcharger, but they haven’t been widely rolled out as Hyundai plans.

KED reports that Hyundai plans to add EREV powertrains to the popular Santa Fe SUV and luxury Genesis GV70 within two to three years. According to results released on July 2, Hyundai has sold 56,622 Santa Fes products to date.

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