Hyundai reportedly tore down a Tesla Cybertruck at one of its research facilities in South Korea. The manufacturer wants to make a full-size electric pickup, which will probably be a range extender, according to one report from Korea. Kia could make its own version of the extended-range truck.
Hyundai has completely shifted its image in the last decade and a half, and it now makes cars that people want to buy not only because they are affordable. One area where it hasn’t had much success, though, is the U.S. pickup segment, where its only representative is the Hyundai Santa Cruz (pictured). It’s a pretty good truck, but it isn’t a hot seller, so the manufacturer will reportedly try again, hoping to hit higher sales numbers, this time with a larger and more powerful electric truck.
The unconfirmed news comes from Korea’s Naver News, which announced that Hyundai had torn down a Tesla Cybertruck, presumably to help it speed up the development process of its own entrant. The teardown started on July 13 at the Hyundai Namyang Research Center and was completed by July 28.
We don’t know Hyundai’s official plans since the manufacturer hasn’t made any announcements, but the source says its electric truck might be a range extender or at least come with an available extended-range powertrain. The manufacturer wants to sell 50,000 range extenders starting in 2029, and the new pickup might be the main driver to hit that target.
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Kia has set the same EREV sales target, which suggests that it could make its own version of the pickup. Even though the Korean media doesn’t mention battery-electric versions of these trucks, they would probably be available since some buyers may not need the range extender. Kia announced in 2022 that it planned to produce two electric pickups but didn’t provide a time frame for their launch.
One of the new truck’s targets is to provide a range of over 250 miles (400 km) while towing 8,800 pounds (4,000 kg). We presume this goal is for the extended-range model because, with current battery technology, a pure BEV truck would need a huge battery pack to meet this.
These pickups are being designed to win over American truck buyers. We will likely see some features that seem heavily inspired by other successful trucks. Hyundai is looking at the three best-selling pickups on the market, trying to understand what makes them successful and distilling their essence into its own, hopefully, market-breaking model.
The Tesla Cybertruck was chosen for the teardown because it’s very popular right now, but it’s likely that other trucks were also dissected, which may have flown under the media’s radar.
Many truck owners in the U.S. like to tow, and if all the electric pickup towing tests have taught us anything, it’s that pulling something heavy saps range at an alarming rate. There’s nothing wrong with the pulling power offered by electric trucks, but a diesel makes a lot more sense when it comes to longer-distance towing jobs.
But an extended-range truck might be even better for towing. You get the benefit of the electric motors’ torque and pulling power, but instead of having to search for a charging station, stop, and wait for the truck to charge, you can simply pull into a gas station, fill up, and continue your journey. Another advantage is that while an EREV doesn’t have anywhere near the battery capacity of a full EV, it still offers plenty of emissions-free miles on a full charge.
Ram is working on the 1500 Ramcharger, which is currently the only extended-range truck that we know is coming. Its 92 kWh battery provides 141 miles of electric driving before the V6 generator starts up to replenish the pack.
The Ramcharger will have a combined range of 690 miles with a fully charged battery and a full tank. If Hyundai and Kia are working on range extender pickups aimed at the American market, they will surely keep a close eye on any Ramcharger news (since it’s not out yet, they can’t benchmark or tear one down).
