Hyundai Readies A 250 Mile EV for 2020

When it comes to fully electric vehicles, overall range is the thing that can make or break it. The likes of Tesla and General Motors are readying models that have a range of 200 miles at an affordable price. But Hyundai is upping the ante.

Byung K. Ahn, director of Hyundai’s Eco-Vehicle Performance Development group tells Car and Driver that the Korean automaker is planning to launch a 250 mile electric vehicle by 2020. Before that, Hyundai will launch an electric model that will have a 200 mile range in 2018.

Here is the thing, neither of these electric vehicles will be based on the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq - the vehicle with the choice of either a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric powertrain. Ahn explained that the Ioniq doesn't have a large enough footprint to accommodate a big battery pack. The Ioniq EV packs a 28-kWh battery pack, while the Bolt comes with a 60-kWh pack. Keep in mind that Bolt has a wheelbase that is 3.9 inches shorter than the Ioniq (102.4 vs. 106.3 inches). We wonder if the Ioniq has issues fitting any more batteries.

Anh explained that while improvements in energy density and software mapping do help, there comes a point that adding more batteries is the best solution. He also said the automaker “looking at different possibilities” for this electric vehicle - meaning it could be a standalone model or be based on one of Hyundai's current models.

Pic Credit: Hyundai