The 200-Mile Electric Car Field Could Be Crowded by 2018
If you’re still holding on to that copy of Who Killed the Electric Car? you bought back in your university days, it might be time to toss it in the trash.
In just two years, there could be four 200-plus mile electric vehicles on the market, now that Hyundai plans to jump into the long-range EV game.
The South Korean automaker doesn’t want to be an also-ran in the emerging field, so it’s planning a 2018 introduction of an EV designed to battle the 215-mile Tesla Model 3. It’s an ambitious goal for a company whose green car chief once called EVs and hybrids “a headache.”
Reuters reports Hyundai wants a vehicle that goes at least 200 miles on a charge, putting it on par with the Model 3 (due out in late 2017), the Chevrolet Bolt (due out this fall), and the next-generation Nissan Leaf, which is expected to receive a similar range in 2018.
In April, Ford CEO Mark Fields said his company was developing a 200-mile EV, even after his electrification chief said the 100-mile range of the 2017 Focus Electric was good enough. There’s no word on when that model will appear.
Apparently, automakers decided 200 miles is enough range to eliminate most cases of “range anxiety” and be useful for most driving tasks. It’s also a nice, round number and is achievable with existing technology.
Hyundai hasn’t been resting on its electric laurels this whole time. Earlier this year, the company revealed its 2017 Ioniq, which comes in hybrid, plug-in and fully electric versions. The Ioniq Electric will have an estimate range of 110 miles when it goes on sale later this year.
Whether the automaker’s shadowy 200-mile EV is a new model or a battery-crammed version of the Ioniq remains to be seen.
[Source: Reuters] [Image: Hyundai Motor Company]
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This field will be much more crowded in 2 years time. All the premium cars makers, e.g. JLR plus the big German 3 are working on new models to be launched over the next 2 years. The market is growing but until recharge times fall then this will remain a niche market. If I want to drive across Europe or America I don't want to have to stop for 30 mins to recharge my car whilst also looking for a plug socket. If the recharge times fall then my guess is that's the end of petrol and diesel.
a company whose green car chief once called EVs and hybrids “a headache.” "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy" Remember aspiration? It was a good thing.