Hyundai to launch 200-mile range hybrid in 2018

Hyundai is to launch a 200-mile electric vehicle

Hyundai has announced plans to launch a hybrid electric vehicle with a driving range of around 200 miles per charge in 2018.

The increased range is nearly double the 112 miles per charge that will be offered by an electric version of Hyundai's Ioniq sedan, which will debut this year.

The electric version will travel 120 to 130 miles on a charge, putting it ahead of cars like Volkswagen eGolf and the Nissan Leaf. However, in just two more years, it will be followed by a longer-range electric car, said director of electric, hybrid and fuel cell development group, Byung Ki Ahn.

The manufacturer and its affiliate Kia also announced in a statement that they plan to more than double the number of their environmentally-friendly models to 28 in 2020. The goal is up from its previous plan of 26 vehicles.

The announcement allows the manufacturer to compete with others such as General Motors which is begin selling its 200-mile range Chevrolet Bolt later on this year. Nissan and Audi also have committed to longer range electric cars in the 2018 timeframe.

Until the launch of the extended range car, Hyundai will preview its electric tech with a trio of Ioniq alternative energy vehicles. The first will be the Ioniq Electric, which has a 28kWh lithium-ion polymer battery and an estimated range of 110 miles. The Ioniq Hybrid will follow in winter, with the plug-in hybrid variant rounding out the launch next summer.