Genesis, Hyundai’s luxury sub-brand, has been making the G80 for some time. It’s a fun car with some problems such as being expensive for what it is. Now featured in an electrical edition, brand first, these issues have not been fully resolved. The low range (for a luxury car) is a sticking point that won’t cause anyone to deviate from a Tesla Model S, despite the fact that it has some oddly funky features.
First, we can’t get around it: this car has an embarrassingly short range for a new luxury model. At 427 kilometers specified by the manufacturer, it is only 265 miles. Compared to the 478 miles Mercedes estimates for its EQS, that doesn’t compete in the same space, but both are luxury sedans. Genesis didn’t announce the price of the Electrified G80 – neither did Mercedes for the EQS, though it’s likely significantly higher – but it’s reasonable to assume it’ll be up there with the Model S. If this is the case, you alone will beat the Genesis out of the competition.
The eG80 comes with all-wheel drive as standard, unlike the EQS or apparently most other electric vehicles currently on the market. Aside from the fact that the price will continue to rise, it means that despite the relatively limited range, it still delivers the driving experience that was one of the G80’s big pluses. Yes, it’s a big sedan, but that’s the idea compared to the parent brand’s Ioniq hatchback.
It has THAT – not the funky steering concept of the Mercedes F1 for heating tires behind the safety car, but a disconnector actuator system that not only sounds like something bad, but can also switch between all-wheel and rear-wheel drive. This makes driving smoother in some contexts and slightly extends the range in rear-wheel-only mode.
In terms of charging, the power is up to 350 kW. This is a known fact that doesn’t apply to a real world charging system, but it definitely means you can use any quick charger you come across. What is really interesting, however, is that it offers vehicle charging for charging, which means that you can use power from the car to replace the grid to hook up almost any 3.6kW device.
The post The electric Genesis G80 swaps a motor for batteries and immerses it in a mobile energy storage device first appeared on monter-une-startup.
