September 1, 2024

Hyundai To Expand Hybrids, Develop New Range Extender, EV Tech


Amidst the slowing demand for battery electric vehicles, Hyundai has announced that they’ll be expanding their hybrid line-up, including range extenders. All this is part of the Korean automaker’s mid- to long-term strategy called, Hyundai Way. The plan includes additional investments in BEV tech and in-car software.

Announced at Hyundai’s Investors’ Day, these new range extender EVs will offer over 900 kilometers. The onboard internal combustion engine will be used solely for generating electricity to charge the battery, while the propulsion itself will be handled by dual electric motors. Hyundai has also confirmed that these REEVs will have a new powertrain and power electronics system too.

Hyundai plans to install these powertrains in both Hyundai and Genesis brands.

In addition, Hyundai will be expanding its hybrid line-up to include small, large, and luxury vehicles. They plan to double the number of hybrids they offer from seven to 14, including Genesis.

Key to this expansion is the introduction of their second-generation Transmission Mounted Electric Drive or TMED-II. This will be unveiled in January, and will offer improved performance and fuel efficiency compared to the current system. TMED-II will enable Hyundai hybrids to gain features first seen in their BEVs such as adaptive regenerative braking and vehicle-to-load or V2L.

When it comes to their BEVs, Hyundai is still looking to expand their offering, but due to the global slowdown in BEV adoption, they’re looking to expand to a full range only by 2030. By then, Hyundai would have launched 21 BEV models.

Part of Hyundai’s BEV plans include the introduction of high-performance premium EVs under the Genesis Magma brand. They will also expand the Hyundai N family to include the Ioniq 6.

Hyundai will also continue the development of next-generation EV batteries, such as solid-state packs, at its new battery research building within the Uiwang Research Institute, set to open at the end of the year. They will also integrate the battery into the body structure to reduce overall weight. Also planned is a new construction to its existing nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery to make EVs more affordable. The target is an improved battery performance of over 20 percent through increased energy density.

And with the Mercedes-Benz EQE catching fire in South Korea going viral, battery safety is another area where Hyundai’s putting a lot of focus. They will add “AI-based” battery life management functions to its battery management system (BMS) and an advanced cooling system to suppress thermal runaway fires. The latter will be implemented by 2026.

In terms of in-car tech, Hyundai is developing a new infotainment system based on the Android Automotive OS—set to be introduced in the first half of 2026—along with its own Android-based open OS and car app market, plus a range of center touchscreens with various aspect ratios. These will come with conversational voice control system based on a “super” large language model as well as a Digital Cockpit featuring a next-gen user interface.

Hyundai’s autonomous driving tech will be improved with the addition of an end-to-end deep learning model that performs perception, judgment, and control all at once. This will be applied as a scalable global solution, with autonomous capabilities ranging from Level 2+ to Level 4.

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