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Hyundai predicts 250-mile electric vehicle by 2020

Hyundai will start selling a battery-electric version of its Ioniq in the US later this year, but the company is ready for much more. Hyundai is forecasting having an EV with a 250-mile single-charge range by the end of the decade. Hyundai executive Ahn Byung-ki told Automotive News that, while electric-vehicle technology development has been steady during the past six years, it will accelerate during the next two. Think of it as the "hockey stick" effect, but for South Korean automakers instead of Silicon Valley tech giants or Canadian hockey players. The Ioniq, which will also get plug-in and hybrid variants, will have a single-charge range of 110 miles when the EV version arrives in November. After that, Hyundai and its Kia and Genesis sister companies may develop a 200-mile range EV for 2018, and then that 250-mile-range car for 2020. Byung-ki isn't concerned that the Ioniq will quickly be outdated because the longer-range vehicles will also be priced higher. The Hyundai executive also said the company had no plans to take on Tesla Motors in the luxury EV market. The Ioniq EV was unveiled at the New York Auto Show this past March. A hybrid version of that sedan debuted in South Korea in January, while the EV went on sale in South Korea last month. Overall, Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis are planning to introduce 10 hybrids, eight EVs, eight plug-in hybrids, and two hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles by the end of the decade. The Hyundai group's only electric vehicle currently sold in the US is the Kia Soul EV, which has a single-charge range of 93 miles as well as some dancing hamsters in its commercials. Neither the Tesla Model 3 nor the Chevrolet Bolt can make that second claim. Related Video:

Hyundai Sonata PHEV may be a game (and mind) changer

If you really, really want to consume volts instead of fuel on your way to work, school or shopping, you currently have just three options: pure EV, hydrogen fuel cell, or plug-in hybrid EV. Much as we love them, we all know the disadvantages of BEVs: high prices due to high battery cost (even though subsidized by their makers), limited range and long recharges. Yes, I know: six-figure (giant-battery) Teslas can deliver a couple hundred miles and Supercharge to ~80 percent in 10 minutes. But few of us can afford one of those, Tesla's high-voltage chargers are hardly as plentiful as gas stations, and even 10 minutes is a meaningful chunk out of a busy day. Also, good luck finding a Tesla dealership to fix whatever goes wrong (other than downloadable software updates) when it inevitably does. There still aren't any. Even more expensive, still rare as honest politicians, and much more challenging to refuel are FCEVs. You can lease one from Honda or Hyundai, and maybe soon Toyota, provided you live in Southern California and have ample disposable income. But you'd best limit your driving to within 100 miles or so of the small (but growing) number of hydrogen fueling stations in that state if you don't want to complete your trip on the back of a flatbed. That leaves PHEVs as the only reasonably affordable, practical choice. Yes, you can operate a conventional parallel hybrid in EV mode...for a mile or so at creep-along speeds. But if your mission is getting to work, school or the mall (and maybe back) most days without burning any fuel – while basking in the security of having a range-extender in reserve when you need it – your choices are extended-range EVs. That means the Chevrolet Volt, Cadillac ELR or a BMW i3 with the optional range-extender engine, and plug-in parallel hybrids. Regular readers know that, except for their high prices, I'm partial to EREVs. They are series hybrids whose small, fuel-efficient engines don't even start (except in certain rare, extreme conditions) until their batteries are spent. That means you can drive 30-40 (Volt, ELR) or 70-80 miles (i3) without consuming a drop of fuel. And until now, I've been fairly skeptical of plug-in versions of conventional parallel hybrids. Why?

Hyundai Rockar dealership concept a kinder way to buy a car [w/video]

The simple car-buying battle line these days usually centers around dealerships versus some alternative method, like online, that bypasses the dealer. A few manufacturers are trying ways in between those two poles, so that customers can visit a retail concept brick-and-mortar location but avoid the negative associations they have with dealerships; Audi's done it in London, BMW's done it in Paris and Tesla is doing it all over. After two years in development, Hyundai has done the same with its Hyundai Rockar store in the Bluewater shopping mall in Kent, England. Hyundai UK partnered with Simon Dixon on the venture, Dixon being a 20-year veteran of the car industry who was frustrated by the experience of having to buy a car at a traditional dealership. Rockar, tucked between a Disney store and a Body Shop, keeps three vehicles in the store; if you prefer, you can handle the entire car-buying transaction online at home, or at computer stations in the store with the help of "Angels," otherwise known as salespeople. Focusing on the retail experience, however, the Angels don't have car backgrounds; they've been trained in the product, but we're told they aren't there to push it on you. Car hunters who want to trade in can input their car to get fair trade value; Rockar says all of its trade-ins go straight to auction, so values are based on dealer auction guides, and every customer gets a no-haggle purchase price. There's a test-drive facility in the mall's enormous parking lot, and prospective customers can go for a spin without a salesperson. It will also attend to routine service needs: owners can book appointments, bring their car to the mall, amuse themselves for a few hours and pick it up the car it's completed. Rockar says it will do routine maintenance on any car, not just Hyundais. Echoing Audi and BMW, Hyundai UK says this isn't about replacing the dealership, but trying to find a better, easier, and less stressful way for potential customers to interact with the brand and buy a car. Bluewater gets 27 million visitors per year, and in just over a month of being open more than 4,000 of them have stopped into Rockar, with three buying a car. Rockar says it will provide free service for three years for the first 100 buyers, and Hyundai expects it to be one of its UK's top ten dealers by the end of 2015. The video has more on the concept. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.