Hyundai’s 1000km-plus ute tech takes shape 

The advanced range-extender technology expected to play a key role in Hyundai’s long-awaited dual cab ute is rapidly taking shape, with the first production EREV confirmed for launch in 2027. 

But don’t expect Hyundai to simply transplant the Santa Fe’s powertrain into the new pickup.

The new Hyundai Santa Fe EREV confirmed for 2027 <<< /hyundai-santa-fe-erev-confirmed-with-epic-range-152849/ >>> will combine electric drive with a petrol-powered generator to deliver almost 1000km of total range, providing the first tangible indication of how the Korean giant’s extended-range technology could be adapted for its newly confirmed body-on-frame midsize ute. 

Hyundai confirmed the Santa Fe EREV and its new midsize pickup as part of the same sweeping product roadmap announced at its 2026 CEO Investor Day. 

The Santa Fe will be Hyundai’s first global production application of EREV technology, with the large SUV scheduled to enter production at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama in the US ahead of a North American launch in the first half of 2027. 

Hyundai is targeting more than 600 miles – about 965km – of combined driving range. 

Unlike a conventional hybrid or plug-in hybrid, where the combustion engine can mechanically drive the wheels, Hyundai’s EREV uses electric motors for propulsion while the petrol engine acts as an onboard generator. 

Hyundai says the system will use less than half the battery capacity of a comparable battery-electric vehicle while providing EV driving characteristics. 

That potentially makes EREV technology particularly well suited to a ute, where the weight and cost of the very large battery required to provide long driving range while towing or carrying heavy loads are significant challenges. 

Hyundai has yet to formally confirm EREV power for its upcoming pickup, but the technology has increasingly emerging as a leading candidate. 

As carsales has previously reported, Hyundai Motor Company Australia chief operating officer Gavin Donaldson has said hybrid or EREV technology is what the local operation would realistically be looking for in the new ute. 

The company believes it will need a distinctive powertrain to compensate for arriving late to a fiercely competitive segment dominated by the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux and increasingly populated by electrified alternatives including the BYD Shark 6. 

Other media reports have also identified EREV as a preferred solution for Hyundai Australia and suggested the technology could deliver more than 1000km of combined range. 

Traditional diesel is not considered an option for the Hyundai ute. 

Kia has gone that way with the struggling Tasman, but it too has signaled electrification is in its future. 

However, the newly confirmed Santa Fe EREV should be regarded as a technology preview rather than the mechanical blueprint for ute applications. 

The Santa Fe is a monocoque SUV based around a front-wheel drive architecture and its petrol engine and associated hardware are expected to be installed transversely across the vehicle. 

Hyundai’s new midsize pickup, by contrast, has now been confirmed as a body-on-frame vehicle designed to compete with conventional one-tonne utes. 

Such an application is expected to require a longitudinal drivetrain architecture more appropriate for the packaging, four-wheel drive, towing, payload and off-road requirements of a Ranger-sized pickup. 

That means Hyundai would have to substantially reconfigure its EREV hardware for ute duty even if the two vehicles ultimately share elements of their battery technology, electric motors, power electronics and range-extender strategy. 

Hyundai has provided another important clue about how that system could work by revealing new battery cells developed in-house. 

The company says the high-performance cells produce more than double the output of the high-nickel cells it previously used while reducing charging time by 40 per cent. 

They will first be used in the EREV arriving in the first half of 2027, with Hyundai claiming the technology can provide comparable battery performance to a full EV from less than half the battery capacity. 

The benefits could be particularly significant in a ute. 

A smaller battery potentially reduces weight and cost while the petrol generator provides the long-distance capability demanded for towing, touring and operation in regional areas where fast-charging infrastructure remains limited.

Hyundai’s new midsize pickup is due before 2030, but Australian availability has not yet been formally confirmed despite the importance of the ute market to Hyundai’s local operation. 

More details are expected to emerge as development progresses, potentially from 2027. 

What is becoming clearer is the likely role electrification will play. 

The BYD Shark 6 has proved there is a market for electrified utes and more and more plug-in hybrids are on the way. 

The NVES CO2 reduction scheme is a further incentive to head down this technology path.