Is this the Hyundai Santa Fe EV? Well, sort of [Video]

Hyundai’s midsize SUV is already due for a facelift, including a new design and electrified powertrain. It’s not a pure EV, but the new Hyundai Santa Fe will offer electric-only driving.

Is Hyundai launching the Santa Fe EV?

The Santa Fe is slightly bigger than the Tesla Model Y and one of Hyundai’s most popular vehicles, so an EV version would make sense, right?

Hyundai introduced hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains for the 2021 model year. The fifth-generation, launched last year, brought a bold new look, added power, and a new hybrid option.

Now, it’s official, the next Santa Fe will be radically different from the current model. A camouflaged prototype was spotted in South Korea with a few design updates, but that’s not all.

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Although it’s still under wraps, a sticker on the side of the vehicle confirms that this Santa Fe is actually an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV). Hyundai announced plans to launch its first EREV in 2027 during last month’s CEO Investor Day.

According to Hyundai, the new electrified vehicle will offer an “EV-like” driving experience, delivering over 600 miles (960 km) of combined range.

The vehicle is still equipped with a battery for pure EV driving, but it also has a gas engine that acts as a generator to extend the driving range when the battery gets low. Hyundai will use in-house batteries, which it claims will offer “full EV power performance with less than half the battery capacity.”

The video from HealerTV takes a closer look at the vehicle to show where the battery and high-voltage lines are located.

Although it’s covered, you can see a few design updates, including new head and rear lights that appear closer to the Palisade.

While Hyundai is preparing to launch the Santa Fe EREV, Genesis is also planning to introduce its first extended-range EV. We caught a sneak peek of the Genesis GV70 EREV earlier this month, which is also expected to arrive in 2027. It will follow the luxury brands’ first hybrid, the GV80, due out next year.