The new system is called an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) powertrain. It uses a small gas engine and a generator to give extra power to the battery when it's running low. The gas engine doesn't drive the car directly - it just helps keep the battery charged.
Hyundai decided to make this new system because sales of regular electric cars have been going down. There's still a big difference between gas-powered cars and electric ones, and not enough places to charge electric cars. Also, many people think electric cars can't go 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."
These new cars have some good things going for them. They don't need as many charging stations because you can fill them up with gas. They're driven by electric motors, so they can speed up faster than regular gas cars. But they do still put out some pollution when the gas engine is running.
A high-up person at Hyundai said:
"Global automakers will enter a period of suffering for at least two to three years starting in the second half of this year. Hybrids and EREVs are our weapons to fight this battle."
Hyundai plans to start using this new system in its cars in the next two or three years. We'll see it first in the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Genesis GV70.
Looking further ahead, Hyundai and Kia are thinking about making pickup trucks with this technology. They've given these projects code names - "TE" for Hyundai and "TV" for Kia. They're hoping to start making these trucks in 2028 or 2029, mainly for people in the United States to buy.
Source: Korea Economic Daily