As EVs stumble, automakers are bringing back a kind of hybrid that promises long range
Volkswagen is planning to begin production of an EREV pickup truck and SUV under the Scout brand name starting in 2027.
Volkswagen
Major automakers are set to resurrect a type of hybrid vehicle that seemed dead in the U.S. just a few years ago to meet a changing consumer demand landscape.
Extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs) are a form of plug-in hybrid that falls midway between traditional hybrids and full EVs. EREV cars and trucks rely on battery powered motors for propulsion (like an EV) but also have a relatively small gas engine to use as a generator to keep the batteries charged up (like a typical hybrid). A key difference between EREVs and other hybrids is the relative size of their batteries and gas engines.
Mainstream hybrids and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) like the Toyota Prius still rely on combustion engines as their main means of propulsion. Thus, they have proportionately smaller batteries, but substantial gas engines that are directly connected to their drivetrains to help move the car. EREVs are much more focused on the electric side of the equation, so they tend to have bigger batteries than other hybrids, but comparatively small gas engines that solely function as generators to top off the batteries when needed.
Earlier examples of this type of vehicle – the Chevy Volt and Fisker Karma – were introduced to the U.S market in 2011. These were followed by the BMW i3 and Cadillac ELR in 2014. But EREVs (also known as Range Extended Electric Vehicles, or REEVs), never attracted much interest from American consumers. The Volt was the most popular EREV by far, with GM selling 157,000 over nine years, until it ended production in 2019. That may seem impressive, but it’s a blip in the overall U.S. new vehicle market, which saw about 16 million sales each year in that timeframe.
The last EREV sold domestically was the i3, which BMW discontinued in 2022. While there are no new EREVs for sale in the U.S., several are in the pipeline.
This includes an upcoming version of the Ram 1500 pickup truck, set to come to market in early 2026. A Ram spokesman noted that it will have the longest driving range the company has ever offered in a light-duty truck, up to 690 total miles between its gas engine and battery power. An EREV version of the Jeep Grand Wagoneer is also under development, according to the company. Volkswagen is planning to begin production of an EREV pickup truck and SUV under the Scout brand name starting in 2027.
Ram 1500 extended range hybrid pickup, set to come to market in early 2026, will have the longest driving range the company has ever offered in a light-duty truck, up to 690 total miles between its gas engine and battery power.
Ram | Stellantis
Hyundai Motors plans to introduce EREV versions of its mid-sized SUVs by the end of 2026, according to a spokesman. The vehicles are expected to have more than 560 miles of range, and be sold under the Hyundai and Genesis brands. In addition, a Nissan spokesman confirmed that the company is considering offering EREV options in its mid-size and larger SUVs. “They do offer advantages versus 100% EVs when it comes to hauling and towing,” he said, “allowing greater driving range without the need for a large capacity battery, as well as faster refueling.”
James Martin, the director of consulting services at S&P Global Mobility, says one reason manufacturers are turning to EREVs is lower production costs. EREV use of smaller and less expensive batteries than full EVs allows manufacturers to keep their expenses down. EREVs are also less complex than plug-in hybrids, Martin said. PHEVs have two functioning propulsion systems and sophisticated controls to allow them to communicate with each other. Most EREVs, by contrast, are solely propelled by their electric motors.
Range anxiety, and cost, still big factors in EV adoption
But one of the biggest advantages of EREVs is range. In China, where EREVs are gaining in popularity, the manufacturer BYD offers mid-sized sedans with more than 1,300 miles of claimed range. EREVs also alleviate range anxiety due to the ubiquity of gas stations. Consumers can just fill up with gasoline to charge the battery if a charging port is unavailable. The new EREVs can travel more than 100 miles on batteries alone, then hundreds more using gasoline.
“Range anxiety is still a factor when it comes to choosing an electric vehicle over an internal combustion vehicle,” said K. Venkatesh Prasad, senior vice president of research and chief innovation officer at the Center for Automotive Research. “EREVs, allay the range anxiety concern,” he said.
These hybrids may especially appeal to consumers who frequently travel long distances, and getting more consumers used to plugging in their vehicles might also appeal to manufacturers. “The actual charging experience of EREVs is very similar to that of BEVs,” Prasad said. “So, the market adoption of EREVs is likely to be seen as a good ramp to future BEV purchase considerations,” he added.
Charging infrastructure is still lagging in many areas of the U.S., according to iSeeCars.com executive analyst Karl Brauer, which can make a full EV impractical for consumers. EREVs avoid that issue and may also be attractive to consumers who live in apartments or houses that lack charging stations.
A recent report from McKinsey noted that EREVs could also combat cost concerns among consumers, noting that the smaller batteries can shave off as much as $6,000 in powertrain production costs, compared to BEVs. Another factor, according to McKinsey, is that both domestic and European manufacturers have seen how EREVs have gained sales momentum in China, a sign the technology may help to increase electrification adoption in their own marketplaces.
“We expect all levels of hybridization to increase production in North America throughout the decade,” said Eric Anderson, the associate director of Americas light vehicle powertrain forecasting for S&P Global Mobility. Hybrids, including EREVs, are a “relatively affordable way for consumers to move up the electrification ladder without a significant monthly payment increase, he said.
While the EV vehicle market continued to grow last year, the pace of growth has slowed considerably. “The BEV market is in the process of shifting from early adopters to a more price-conscious buyer,” Anderson said.
Domestic sales of hybrids grew from 1,175,456 in 2023 to 1,609,035 in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, a 37% increase. Plug-in hybrids grew 10% in the same period — from 293,578 to 321,774. By comparison, fully electric EVs saw 7% growth, from 1,164,638 to 1,247,656. While overall sales of traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles continues to dominate, its market share has fallen every year since 2015, according to Edmunds. Last year, ICE vehicle sales fell to 80.8% of total U.S. sales, down from 84% in 2023.
Another attribute that might make EREVs popular with consumers is resale value. Hybrids – which includes EREVs and more common plug-in hybrids – depreciate less than EVs or traditional gas vehicles. Since depreciation is the most expensive part of car ownership, finding a vehicle that better retains its value can provide consumers with significant savings. By contrast, electric cars and trucks lose value faster than any other vehicle type – dropping by 58.8% after five years, compared to the overall vehicle depreciation average of 45.6% and only 40.7% for hybrids, according to research from iSeeCars.
“Electric vehicle sales have been slowing on both the new and used market, with EVs sitting on dealer lots longer despite falling prices,” Brauer said. “Consumers are showing increasing appreciation for hybrid vehicles, creating a friendly environment for automakers to introduce more plug-in hybrids as an intermediate step toward full electric vehicles.”
Credit where credit is due: in a massive, 32-car multinational independent test, Tesla’s Autopilot ADAS came out on top, the new affordable Tesla turns out to be a corner-cutting Model Y, and one of the company’s original founders compares the Cybertruck to a dumpster. All this and more on today’s episode of Quick Charge!
Today’s episode is brought to you by Retrospec – the makers of sleek, powerful e-bikes and outdoor gear built for everyday adventure! To that end, we’ve got a pair of Retrospec e-bike reviews followed up by a super cute, super affordable new EV from China with nearly 150 miles of range for less than $5,000 USD.
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Tesla is again teasing the new Roadster, which is now five years late, as “the last driver’s car” before self-driving takes over.
The chicken or the egg. Is Tesla delaying the Roadster to match the development of self-driving technology, or is it delaying the development of self-driving technology to match the delayed release of the Roadster?
The prototype for the next-generation Tesla Roadster was first unveiled in 2017, and it was initially scheduled to enter production in 2020; however, it has been delayed every year since then.
It was supposed to achieve a range of 620 miles (1,000 km) and accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds.
It has become a sort of running joke, and there are doubts that it will ever come to market despite Tesla’s promise of dozens of free new Roadsters to Tesla owners who participated in its referral program years ago.
Tesla used the promise of free Roadsters to help generate billions of dollars worth of sales, which Tesla owners delivered; however, the automaker never delivered on its part of the agreement.
Furthermore, many people placed deposits ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 to reserve the vehicle, which was initially scheduled to hit the market five years ago.
When unveiling the vehicle, CEO Elon Musk described it as a “halo car” that would deliver a “smack down” to gasoline vehicles.
That was almost eight years ago, and many electric hypercars have since launched and delivered this smackdown.
Tesla has partly blamed the delays on improving the next-gen Roadsters and added features like the “SpaceX package,” which is supposed to include cold air thrusters to enable the vehicle to fly – Musk has hinted.
Many people don’t believe any of it, as Tesla has said that it would launch the new Roadster every year for the last 5 years and never did.
Now, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s head of vehicle engineering, made a rare new comment about the next-generation Roadster during an interview at the X Takeover event, an annual gathering of Elon Musk cultists, last weekend.
He referred to Tesla’s next-gen Roadster as the “last best driver’s car” and said that the automaker did “some cool demos” for Musk last week:
We spent a lot of time in the last few years rethinking what we did, and why we did it, and what would make an awesome and exciting last best driver’s car. We’ve been making it better and better, and it is even a little bit more than a car. We showed Elon some cool demos last week and tech we’ve been working on, and he got a little excited.
The timing matches Musk’s recent claim that Tesla is going to have ‘the most epic demo ever, ’ but we heard that one before.
We suspected that the comment might be about the Tesla Roadster, as the CEO made the exact same comment about Roadster demos in 2019 and 2024. You will not be shocked to hear that these demos never happen.
Electrek’s Take
The “last best driver’s car” before computers are going to drive us everywhere. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy if you continue to delay the car. It might literally be the last car ever made that way. How would we ever know?
The truth is that the Roadster was cool when it was unveiled in 2017, but that was a long time ago. Tesla would need to update the car quite a bit to make it cool in 2025, and I don’t know that cold air clusters are it. You will have extreme limitations using those.
The Roadster is almost entirely in the “put up or shut up” category for me at Tesla. They need to stop talking about it and make it happen; otherwise, I can’t believe a word.
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The PV5 is already available in several markets, but will Kia launch it in the US? After Kia’s electric van was spotted testing in the US again, a US debut could be in the works.
Is Kia’s electric van coming to the US?
Kia launched the PV5, the first dedicated electric van from its new Platform Beyond vehicle (PBV) business, in South Korea and Europe earlier this year, promising it will roll out in “other global markets” in 2026.
Will that include the US? Earlier this year, Kia’s electric van was caught charging at a station in Indiana. Photos and a video sent to Electrek by Alex Nguyen confirmed it was, in fact, the PV5.
Kia has yet to say if it will sell the PV5 in the US, likely due to the Trump Administration’s new auto tariffs. All electric vans, or PBVs, including the PV5, will be built at Kia’s Hwaseong plant in South Korea, which means they will face a stiff 25% tariff as imports.
Following another sighting, a US debut cannot be ruled out. The PV5 Passenger model was spotted by Automotive Validation Engineer Chris Higa (@Chrisediting) while testing in Arizona.
There’s no denying that’s Kia’s electric van, but it doesn’t necessarily confirm it will launch in the US. But it could make sense.
Despite record first-half sales in the US, Kia’s EV sales have fallen significantly. Sales of the EV9 and EV6 are nearly 50% less than in the first half of 2024.
To be fair, part of it is due to the new model year changeover, but Kia is also doubling down on the US market by boosting local production. Earlier this year, Kia said the EV6 and EV9 are now in full-scale production at its West Point, GA, facility.
The PV5 Passenger (shown above) is available in Europe with two battery pack options: 51.5 kWh or 71.2 kWh, rated with WLTP ranges of 179 miles and 249 miles, respectively. The Cargo variant has the same battery options but offers a WLTP range of either 181 miles or 247 miles.
During its PV5 Tech Day event last week, Kia revealed plans for seven PV5 body types, including an Open Bed (similar to a pickup), a Light Camper, and even a luxury “Prime” passenger model.
Kia is set to begin deliveries of the PV5 Passenger and Cargo Long variants in South Korea next month, followed by Europe and other global markets, starting in Q4 2025. As for a US launch, we will have to wait for the official word from Kia.
Do you want Kia to bring its electric van to the US? Drop us a comment below and let us know your thoughts.
Source: Chris Higa, TheKoreanCarBlog
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