![\"Hyundai](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787773275_105_16x9-tr.png\")
<\/p>\n
Photo by: Hyundai<\/p>\n
The Santa Fe EREV will arrive next year and will be manufactured here in the U.S. at Hyundai\u2019s plant in Alabama. Sister brand Kia has similar plans. It will launch the Telluride EREV<\/a> in 2029, followed by an extended-range pickup truck in 2030. Genesis will also launch an EREV SUV before the end of the decade with more than 640 miles of range, the automaker said.<\/p>\n The U.S. is about to see an influx of EREVs, with models including the next-generation Ford F-150 Lightning<\/a>, Ram 1500 REV<\/a> and Jeep Grand Wagoneer<\/a> expected to join the growing segment. But the addition of a combustion engine to alleviate range anxiety is an all but proven approach. It\u2019s unclear if the market will welcome yet another powertrain type while it\u2019s already undergoing a learning curve with EVs.<\/p>\n What might help more to address concerns around range anxiety is Hyundai\u2019s work on battery technology. Hyundai said its EREVs will use its own high-nickel battery cells. The automaker claims the cells will reduce charging times by 40% while allowing the vehicles to use less than half the battery capacity of a comparable EV to deliver similar performance and driving characteristics.<\/p>\n Photo by: Hyundai<\/p>\n Hyundai EVs arriving next year will also switch to mid-nickel battery cells, which the automaker says will reduce costs by 30% without sacrificing performance. Hyundai also announced a new Thermal Runaway Protection system that will debut on an unnamed Genesis model. The system uses a new barrier structure between individual cells to prevent a fire from spreading through the battery pack, containing it locally around the point where it occurs.<\/p>\n On the autonomy front, Hyundai appears to have grand ambitions. It said it will begin delivering its Ioniq 5<\/a> robotaxis to Waymo in the fourth quarter of this year. Its Motional robotaxi division will also begin its own driverless Ioniq 5 ride-hailing service by the end of the year. Its first ever software-defined vehicle will arrive in 2028 and use a standardized sensor platform built around the Nvidia ecosystem. Robotaxis require tremendous amounts of real-world data for training, and for that Hyundai is building a new 100-megawatt AI data center in Korea with more than 50,000 GPUs.<\/p>\n Photo by: Hyundai<\/p>\n Hyundai\u2019s global product push is even more aggressive. The automaker plans to launch 49 new or refreshed models in Korea, 41 in Europe, 26 in India, and 22 in China by the end of the decade.<\/p>\n Europe will also get the smaller Ioniq 3 starting this month, with an estimated WLTP range of about 500 miles. The model will also debut Hyundai\u2019s next-generation Pleos Connect in-car infotainment platform.<\/p>\n Hyundai is promising a lot, but it\u2019s hardly alone. Automakers are increasingly expanding beyond simply building cars, with their ambitions now spanning everything from EVs and autonomous driving to in-house batteries, robotics and even AI data centers. The definition of what it means to be a car company keeps expanding every year.<\/p>\n Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com<\/a><\/p>\n \n \t\tWe want your opinion!\n\t<\/p>\n What would you like to see on Insideevs.com?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n