Photo: unknown via ETNews
After frolicking for a long time with the liquid hydrogen fuel cell propulsion, Hyundai is now beginning to make its intention of becoming an important EV player known to the world.
Its best effort so far is the IONIQ Electric sedan which, sadly, has rather poor specifications. And don't think for a moment we're being mean here: Ahn Byung-ki, Hyundai's eco-vehicle performance group director, speaking about the BEV's range said that "124 [miles] is not enough, and we have a plan to extend that to more than 200 by 2018."
Indeed they do, and it looks like the vehicle behind those plans has just been spotted testing in South Korea. Well, "testing" might be a little too much since at the moment the image was snapped, the only thing being put through its paces was the car's charging system.
However, being in a public space such as this supermarket parking garage and wearing the kind of camouflage like the one covering this vehicle's body are clear indicators that Hyundai is actively testing the SUV and it doesn't want us knowing what it looks like.
The fact it was charging doesn't necessarily point toward a BEV since it still leaves the PHEV option open, but after contacting the manufacturer, local media outlet ETNews managed to get an official statement confirming the nature of the vehicle: “Although it is true that we are developing SUV electric vehicle with a goal of releasing in 2018, we cannot disclose any information such as name and specifications of new models due to confidentiality.”
Despite appearing to be similar in size to the B-segment SUV spotted testing recently, the two don't seem to share too many visual cues. Strangely enough, the unnamed electric version appears to be the more conventional one styling-wise, which would be a welcome departure from the usual fixation of making EVs look as weird as possible.
The release of this electric SUV will coincide with Kia launching its own similar vehicle based on the existing Niro model. That means the two should be heavily related, making whatever it is hiding underneath that camouflage somewhat less intriguing.
According to the same source, the new car is expected to come with a 64 kWh battery pack, enough to ensure the BESUV can travel for at least 320 km (roughly 200 miles) under any conditions.
The car should be launched sometime during next year, making Hyundai one of the manufacturers with the fastest evolving electric range. But when you're starting late and you have the expertise of sister-brand Kia to build upon, that's not so hard to imagine.
Indeed they do, and it looks like the vehicle behind those plans has just been spotted testing in South Korea. Well, "testing" might be a little too much since at the moment the image was snapped, the only thing being put through its paces was the car's charging system.
However, being in a public space such as this supermarket parking garage and wearing the kind of camouflage like the one covering this vehicle's body are clear indicators that Hyundai is actively testing the SUV and it doesn't want us knowing what it looks like.
The fact it was charging doesn't necessarily point toward a BEV since it still leaves the PHEV option open, but after contacting the manufacturer, local media outlet ETNews managed to get an official statement confirming the nature of the vehicle: “Although it is true that we are developing SUV electric vehicle with a goal of releasing in 2018, we cannot disclose any information such as name and specifications of new models due to confidentiality.”
Despite appearing to be similar in size to the B-segment SUV spotted testing recently, the two don't seem to share too many visual cues. Strangely enough, the unnamed electric version appears to be the more conventional one styling-wise, which would be a welcome departure from the usual fixation of making EVs look as weird as possible.
The release of this electric SUV will coincide with Kia launching its own similar vehicle based on the existing Niro model. That means the two should be heavily related, making whatever it is hiding underneath that camouflage somewhat less intriguing.
According to the same source, the new car is expected to come with a 64 kWh battery pack, enough to ensure the BESUV can travel for at least 320 km (roughly 200 miles) under any conditions.
The car should be launched sometime during next year, making Hyundai one of the manufacturers with the fastest evolving electric range. But when you're starting late and you have the expertise of sister-brand Kia to build upon, that's not so hard to imagine.
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