Hyundai will expand its range of hybrid vehicles by adding features from its electric models

At an event for investors, Hyundai Motor announced its intention to double its range of hybrid models from next year, going from seven to fourteen in total. These new-generation hybrid vehicles will also integrate totally innovative features, inherited from the group’s electric models.

Thanks to the company’s new-generation hybrid powertrain, known as TMED-II, every combustion model from the group’s three brands will be accompanied by a hybrid version. This system not only promises significant improvements in performance and fuel efficiency, but will also incorporate features such as V2L bidirectional charging or intelligent regenerative braking that until now were exclusive to fully electric vehicles.

With V2L technology, users will be able to draw energy from the vehicle’s high-voltage battery to power tools or household appliances. A feature already enjoyed today, for example, by owners of the electric models in the Hyundai IONIQ range. It remains to be seen, however, how the South Korean company will adapt this technology to its hybrid models.

In battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, energy is exported through the charging port using a special adapter. However, conventional hybrids do not have this port, so it is speculated that the group’s next hybrids from Hyundai Motor could include an integrated inverter that channels electricity to domestic power outlets in the vehicle. In other words, from the user’s point of view, the vehicle will have a conventional Schuko socket where any electronic device can be plugged in.

Hybrid models take center stage

With this strategy, Hyundai Motor aims to increase its sales of hybrid models over the medium term, reaching 1.33 million units worldwide by 2028. A significant part of this growth is also expected to come from North America, where they anticipate a significant increase in demand for this type of vehicle.

To meet this demand, the company plans to increase its hybrid vehicle production by 690 thousand units per year by 2030, with a large share of this output concentrated at Hyundai Motor’s Metaplant in Georgia. There, Hyundai will produce hybrids alongside fully electric models, such as the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and the upcoming new flagship of the South Korean brand, the IONIQ 9.

Alongside this new push for the brand’s hybrid range, Hyundai Motor also plans to expand its offering of fully electric vehicles and is working to complement them with extended-range models (EREV).