Automakers are betting on a different kind of electric car. Meet the EREV.

The adjacent celebrated EV mightiness come pinch a state engine.

Several car brands, including Hyundai, Genesis, Ram, Jeep, Ford, and Volkswagen-backed Scout Motors, person announced plans to build extended-range electrical vehicles, aliases EREVs, by the extremity of 2028.

It's a increasing manufacture bet. After years of lower-than-expected EV adoption, and arsenic gas prices stay elevated, car executives judge buyers want the acquisition of electrical driving without having to dangle connected America's charging infrastructure for each agelong trip.

"EREVs are really the adjacent procreation of this stepping chromatic powertrain," Robby DeGraff, the head of merchandise and user insights astatine AutoPacific, told Business Insider. "These vehicles make a batch of consciousness for a batch of Americans."

So… what the heck is an EREV?

An EREV has some a important artillery and a state engine.

Its wheels are propelled exclusively by electrical motors. The state motor burns substance to rotation a generator, which produces energy erstwhile the artillery level falls.

On paper, the strategy combines the benefits of an EV and a state vehicle. Owners who complaint regularly tin grip astir regular driving connected electricity, past usage gasoline for agelong trips aliases dense towing — erstwhile an all-electric truck's scope tin return a steep hit. Most EREVs are expected to connection astir 120 to 150 miles of electric-only driving, followed by respective 100 further miles pinch a afloat vessel of gas.

The format makes peculiar consciousness successful the kinds of vehicles Americans already love: big trucks and SUVs. The afloat plug-in EREVs announced truthful acold are concentrated successful those larger segments, wherever location is room for a important battery, an engine, and a substance tank.

"Given that Americans still person an irrational desire for oversized vehicles and we'll apt proceed to person elevated substance prices for the foreseeable future, EREVs really make a batch of consciousness and person the imaginable to do well," Sam Abuelsamid, vice president of marketplace investigation astatine Telemetry, told Business Insider.

What's coming, and when

Automakers person not settled connected a azygous sanction for the technology.

Ram's coming pickup is the clearest example. The institution calls its gas-generator, electric-drive motortruck the Ram 1500 REV. Ram says the pickup, expected to scope dealerships successful the first half of 2027, will nutrient 647 horsepower from electrical motors, connection 145 miles of electrical range, and recreation up to 690 miles successful total.

Its sister brand, Jeep, is preparing a related Grand Wagoneer SUV. That 1 is called the REEV.

Hyundai, Ford, and Scout Motors are solidly successful the EREV camp. On its recent investor day, Hyundai announced that it will build a three-row Santa Fe EREV successful Alabama. It's expected to motorboat successful early 2027 pinch much than 600 miles of range. The company's luxury brand, Genesis, will besides present a so-far unnamed EREV SUV.

Ford announced that its next-generation F-150 Lightning will get a state generator aft the all-electric version's income disappointed. Finally, Scout Motors, the vintage motortruck brand that Volkswagen is reviving, is offering gas-generator options of its Traveler SUV and Terra pickup.

Nissan's upcoming Rogue e-POWER hybrid points successful the aforesaid direction. It is not a plug-in, and Nissan does not telephone it an EREV. But, for illustration an EREV, its state motor generates energy while electrical motors thrust the wheels.

They're different from different large flops

The committedness of an EREV whitethorn sound familiar.

For years, car companies sounded plug-in hybrids, aliases PHEVs, arsenic the champion of some worlds: a artillery pinch a plug for short trips and a state motor for longer ones.

The class hasn't caught on.

The Energy Information Administration reported that plug-in hybrids accounted for 1.4% of US conveyance income successful the 2nd 4th of 2026, down from 1.9% a twelvemonth earlier. Stellantis announced a $26 cardinal write-down while discontinuing its PHEV lineup, and nary of Detroit's Big Three automakers still sells a accepted plug-in hybrid successful the US.

A fewer PHEVs person recovered an audience. Toyota has sold a patient number of plug-in Priuses and RAV4s, while Mitsubishi's Outlander Plug-In Hybrid has earned beardown reviews. DeGraff said he is getting 45 to 55 miles of estimated electrical scope from a 2026 Outlander PHEV he is presently testing.

But overall, the PHEV exemplary has struggled astatine scale. The vehicles are much costly than comparable state cars and accepted hybrids, and their fuel-saving committedness depends connected owners regularly plugging them in. Studies person found that galore do not.

Abuelsamid says EREVs could beryllium a amended stake for 2 main reasons: they're mechanically simpler, and, dissimilar PHEVs, the capacity won't alteration arsenic the car bounces betwixt state and electrical power.

Or, EREVs could autumn into the aforesaid pricing and user disorder traps. The Ram 1500 REV, for example, is expected to scope dealerships pinch pricing betwixt $60,000 and $100,000.

"There are 2 monolithic threats to EREVs that person been damaging to today's PHEVs: costs and education," DeGraff added. "If you want a user to salary rather a spot much for this precocious powertrain, it is imperatively important they understand it."