Hyundai Will Develop EREV Powertrain For Electric Pickup, Santa Fe, GV70

Hyundai has devised a new method for increasing the range of electric vehicles. The company created a system that allows electric vehicles to travel up to 1,000 kilometers, which is roughly twice the distance that regular electric cars can currently travel.
The new system is known as an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) powertrain. It employs a small gas engine and a generator to provide additional power to the battery when it is low. The gas engine does not directly drive the vehicle; rather, it helps to keep the battery charged.

Hyundai decided to develop this new system because sales of regular electric vehicles have been declining. There is still a significant difference between gasoline-powered and electric vehicles, and there aren't enough charging stations. Also, many people believe that electric vehicles cannot travel far enough on a single charge.
An industry official told the Korea Economic Daily:

"It is still years before we see an affordable EV equipped with batteries that can travel 1,000 km on a single charge. EREVs will be competitive for at least ten years before the arrival of the EV era."

There are some positive aspects to these new cars. They require fewer charging stations because they can be filled with gas. They are powered by electric motors and can accelerate faster than traditional gas cars. However, when the gas engine is running, they continue to emit pollution.

Hyundai intends to implement this new system in its cars within the next two or three years. We'll see it first in the Hyundai Santa Fe and Genesis GV70.

Moving forward, Hyundai and Kia intend to use this technology to build pickup trucks. They've given the projects code names: "TE" for Hyundai and "TV" for Kia. They hope to begin production of these trucks in 2028 or 2029, primarily for sale in the United States.