Hyundai's New Hybrids Prove Gas Engines Aren't Dead (But They're Not What You'd Think)

It's still full steam ahead for electric cars, and nearly every automaker around is trying its best to expand its EV lineup. However, gas-powered cars and hybrids aren't going away anytime even remotely soon, and companies like Hyundai are still innovating in the field. Starting in 2027, your Hyundai dealership will start offering Extended-Range Electric Vehicles, or EREVs, according to a press release from Hyundai. 

EREVs have electric motors and a gas engine like a hybrid, but how it operates couldn't be more different. The gasoline engine acts as a generator to charge the batteries that power the electric motor or set of motors. There is no mechanical connection between the wheels and the gas motor, like you have in a more traditional hybrid. This technology has occasionally made appearances in other lineups. The BMW i3 from years ago was available with an optional range extender motor. Mazda has experimented with the technology, and Stellantis is using an EREV drivetrain setup in the upcoming Ramcharger truck.

Hyundai says that its yet unnamed EREV will offer upwards of 900 kilometers in range (about 560 miles) and it "also offers price competitiveness over EVs through battery capacity optimization and allows both refueling and stress-free charging..." Hyundai is hoping that it will make future electrification more streamlined. As of now, Hyundai, a Korea-based company, will start with North American and Chinese markets for EREVs.

There are still a lot of unknowns as of now, and Hyundai hasn't given many details about what the EREV will look like, other than the fact that it will be an SUV for the North American market. The company could debut it as a new model or go the Ram trucks route and introduce it as a twist on an existing concept, but that's all speculation for now. Hyundai plans to start production of its EREV offering in 2026, so there is still a lot of time to get details ironed out.

In the meantime, it seems that Hyundai at least isn't giving up in the gas powered department for at least several years.