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Hyundai is looking increasingly likely to turn to a range-extended electric vehicle (REEV) with its highly-anticipated new ute.
But the new technology, which combines an electric motor and battery to power the wheels supported by a petrol engine to charge the battery, is also likely to roll out into its large SUVs to combat the growing threat of plug-in hybrids.
As we have previously reported, Hyundai is understood to be working on an all-new REEV powertrain that would provide up to 200km of electric-only driving range, but with the petrol engine able to keep the battery charged up for a total of 900km on electric and petrol power.
While Hyundai isn’t ready to confirm its REEV plans yet, when CarsGuide pressed Hyundai Australia Chief Executive Officer, Don Romano, on why the brand is yet to offer a plug-in hybrid to challenge the wave of so-called ‘super hybrids’ from Chinese brands, including BYD, MG and Chery, he said the company has something better up its sleeve - but refused to say what.
“We can't really get into it right now, but we do have an option that's coming out,” Romano said. “It's not necessarily a plug-in, but it is going to be a different type of hybrid, that's all I can say. So if we didn't have another option that we felt was even better, we'd probably have more plug-in hybrids coming. But right now, no. You’ll see another technology.”
The Hyundai REEV system will reportedly be similar to the Nissan’s e-Power, with the electric motor driving the wheels and the petrol engine only used at optimum revs as a generator to charge the battery on the move, even as it depletes between charging.
This would seemingly fit Romano’s comments around the planned Ford Ranger-rivaling ute he has promised to reveal within the next three years. He has made it clear that, as a latecomer to the ute market, Hyundai cannot simply launch a turbo diesel-powered ute and hope to compete with the Ranger, Toyota HiLux and many other rivals in that segment.
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“If they produce what we're talking about at this stage and what we're working on, it's gonna be mind blowing, it's gonna be great,” he said. “ And I really mean that, I'm not just blowing smoke.
“I just think when you come out with a ute, you know, you can't come out with the same thing. You've got to look at the best vehicles in the market, the best utes in the market, who are the two biggest players. We all know who they are and that's who you have to position yourself with. But you have to bring in some new technology, because a lot of that technology they're using has been there for a while.”
While a hybrid has been hinted at, it now seems increasingly likely that a range-extender powertrain is the most likely option to sit underneath the bonnet of Hyundai’s first ute. At this stage, that would be a point-of-difference for the brand, even from the plug-in hybrid BYD Shark 6.
