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Spyshots: 2019 Hyundai Elantra Electric Does Cold-Weather Testing

Cold-weather testing is an important part of a vehicle’s development process. If that vehicle is battery-powered, then it’s even more critical to get things right from the get-go considering how the cold decreases range.
2019 Hyundai Elantra Electric 13 photos
Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
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Hyundai knows it all too well, which is why the South Korean automaker took to the northernmost part of Europe to make fine adjustments to the Elantra Electric. “The what now? Since when does Hyundai want to electrify the Elantra?” Color us surprised, but the Elantra EV is news to us as well.

Remember the Next Generation FCEV presented in August of 2017, with the concept turning out to be a preview for the Nexo fuel-cell crossover? It was then that Hyundai confirmed eight BEVs, eight plug-in hybrids, and 10 hybrid vehicles, with the automaker intending to launch no less than 28 eco-friendly cars by the end of 2020. The Elantra Electric is, as of now, one of them.

From the spy photos, it appears Hyundai didn’t operate too many changes to the way the Elantra looks. What sticks out like a sore thumb is the wheel design, which screams “look how eco-friendly I am” through every pore. The ground clearance also appears different from the regular Elantra.

Also worthy of highlighting is the left-hand drive configuration, which might be an indicator the Elantra Electric could be added to the automaker’s U.S., European, and Chinese lineups. The big question is, what sort of battery and electric powertrain does the Elantra EV hide under the skin?

Being smaller than the Ioniq Electric and obviously cheaper, it’s not too hard to imagine what’s in the offing. For reference, the Ioniq Electric costs $29,500, packs 118 horsepower, and is EPA-rated 124 miles on a full charge.

As a brief refresher, Hyundai already sells the Elantra Electric in China, albeit not this one. Based on the Gen 4 Elantra and called Elantra Yuedong, the all-electric sedan with 108 horsepower is manufactured in the People’s Republic by Beijing-Hyundai.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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