Hyundai pledges to build EV model with 500km range

As new figures show that the rise of renewables have slashed the carbon impact of electric vehicles (EVs) in Britain, South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai has unveiled plans to strengthen its grip on the market with a new model that can go 500km on a single charge.


Hyundai’s long-range EV is set to enter the market after 2021, and would rival the range boasted by Tesla’s Model 3. Hyundai has also confirmed plans to release EV versions of its Kona compact SUV and Genesis EV models in 2018 and 2021 respectively.

The company has already displayed a commitment to develop hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, with the Hyundai FE Fuel Cell Concept unveiled earlier this year. The concept car forms part of the company’s eco-vehicle programme that will see 31 new “environmentally focused” vehicles introduced by 2020. Part of this pledge was the evolution of Hyundai’s Ioniq model, which has a range of 280km and is the world’s first car with three electrified powertrains. 

Greener transport

EVs are now in a position to drastically reduce carbon emissions in the UK. Research released by power generation for, Drax earlier this week shows that renewables produced 25% of Britain’s electricity over the second quarter of 2017, representing an important step in the grid’s capacity to deliver clean transport.

The study shows that EVs now produce less than half of the CO2/m of the best petrol and diesel cars on the market. Producing the electricity to charge a Tesla Model S now requires a carbon intensity of 124g/km driven in the winter, which amounts to half the carbon required in 2012.

In order to push the agenda further, Hyundai’s UK chief executive Tony Whitehorn told edie that the Government can ignite a surge of public interest in electric and low-carbon vehicles by developing more infrastructure and implementing effective policy incentives that spark widespread behaviour change.

George Ogleby

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