Car buyers who aren’t quite ready to make the switch to a full electric car, but still love the idea of driving at least part of their trip emissions free will soon have more options with the growing fleet of available plug-in hybrid models. Hyundai has just unveiled the 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid at the Detroit Auto Show, which can travel up to 22 miles in electric mode, besting many of its competitors.
The 2016 Sonata Plug-in Hybrid shares many of its parts with the standard Sonata and Sonata Hybrid models, but a 9.8 kWh lithium polymer battery pack, roughly five times larger than the Sonata Hybrid’s battery, which gives the Sonata Plug-in Hybrid an all-electric range that is farther than any other midsize plug-in hybrid sedan. It’s powered by a 2.0L four-cylinder engine that is mated to an electric motor with a combined output of 202 horsepower. Another benefit is that the Sonata Plug-in Hybrid’s 50 kW electric motor is 32 percent more powerful than the motor used the in regular Sonata Hybrid, which gives it the ability to travel at higher speeds in EV mode.
Hyundai estimates that the Sonata Plug-in Hybrid will be rated at 93 MPGe combined in EV mode. In charge-sustaining mode, the Sonata PHEV is expected to return 38 mpg in the city, 43 mpg on the highway, and 40 mpg combined. Recharge time ranges from two-and-a-half hours at a 240V Level 2 charging station, to five hours using a standard 120V outlet.
Hyundai hasn’t announced the pricing for the Sonata Plug-in Hybrid yet, but it is eligible for federal and state tax rebates.
+ Hyundai
Photos by Marc Carter for Inhabitat
