Genesis has revealed its first electric car. It’s a version of its G80 sedan creatively named the Electrified G80. The debut occurred at the Shanghai Auto Show in China, but Genesis says the car is bound for the U.S.
Pricing hasn’t been revealed. Electric versions of luxury cars tend to appear at prices similar to the highest-end gasoline-powered versions of the same model, which would put the Electrified G80 around $60,000. It will likely appear next year as a 2023 model.
Little visually distinguishes it from a conventionally-powered G80. The grille is an elegant inversion of the gasoline car’s and uses solid chrome where the open space is in the mesh of its sibling. The charging door hides in the pattern. Otherwise, only the lack of exhaust pipes distinguishes the electric model.
Inside, this Genesis EV model looks almost identical to the standard G80, but many of its materials are new with an eye toward sustainability. The seats, center console, and armrests wear leather using what Genesis calls “natural dyes.” Wood trim comes from pieces recycled from the furniture-making process.
Enhancing the luxury feel is the use of active noise cancellation. A feature like that in some Jaguar/Land Rover models, Hyundai’s Active Noise Control-Road system “reduces the level of noise significantly by measuring and analyzing road noises with four sensors and six microphones inside the vehicle, and by simultaneously creating sounds at opposite phase.”
Based on Hyundai’s E-GMP Platform
Genesis has offered few mechanical details on the car, other than to say that it borrows some elements of the E-GMP platform that underlies the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6. The Electrified G80 boasts a 4.9-second 0-60 mph time, making it the quickest G80 by one-tenth of a second. Genesis says the car will get 311 miles of driving range in European tests. Keep in mind that EPA tests tend to return much shorter ranges.
Genesis hasn’t specified the size of the battery. The pack charges from 10% to 80% in only 22 minutes with a Level 3 DC fast charger. The setup also offers bi-directional charging, meaning you can use the car to power other devices. A solar panel integrated into the roof isn’t efficient enough to charge the battery at rest but, Hyundai says, it “increases energy efficiency.”
The Electrified G80 will come only in an all-wheel-drive (AWD) configuration. However, Genesis says, the car will “automatically connect or disconnect the motor and driveshaft based on various driving conditions, including vehicle speed and driving mode, enabling seamless switching between 2WD and AWD to reduce unnecessary power loss and increase efficiency.”
