Genesis G80 EV – Understated Premium Electric
By Edward A. Sanchez – April 20, 2021
Genesis has had a slow start as a brand. Before it was carved out as a standalone brand within the Hyundai Group, it started as two Hyundai-badged models, a coupe and sedan. Ultimately, Hyundai decided Genesis deserved to be its own brand, although retail outlets were still typically paired with Hyundai dealerships. With the arrival of the GV80 and GV70 crossovers, and the addition a few years ago of the G70 sport sedan, it is approaching having a full-fledged product lineup. With the announcement this week of an electric version of the G80 sedan, Genesis is now poised to join other premium brands with a full electric model.
The electric G80 (officially called the “Electrified G80”) doesn’t look radically different than its internal-combustion counterpart. The grille panel hides a charge port, but at first glance, doesn’t look much different than the grille on other Genesis models. Likewise, nothing in the interior screams “I’m electric!” The rotary-dial shifter, once considered edgy, is now relatively common and not necessarily an indicator of powertrain.
At this point, it’s unknown whether or not the Electrified G80 is built on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform, but some of the specs hinted at suggest it may at least borrow some hardware and technology from the Hyundai Group’s forthcoming EV platform. The car features standard dual-motor all-wheel drive, a 400V/800V charging system, as well as a vehicle-to-load (V2L) output system with and output of up to 3.6 kW. Using 350 kW rapid charging, Genesis claims the Electrified G80 can charge from 10 to 80 percent state-of-charge in just 22 minutes.
Preliminary efficiency ratings noted by Genesis are 4.3 km/kWh, or roughly equivalent to approximately 90 MPGe. While competitive with some other premium EV models such as the Jaguar I-Pace and Porsche Taycan, it cannot approach the efficiency rating of the Tesla Model S. However, it should be noted in real-world testing, Tesla’s EPA ratings have been found to be optimistic, while others’ ratings have been found to be conservative.
Range estimates for the Electrified G80 are 500 km (311 miles) using the WLTP standard, and 427 km (265 miles) based on the Korean range certification standard. Some other automotive blogs and outlets have commented on the range being inadequate, but in all likelihood, the EPA figure will be above 200 miles, which while not quite to the marathon standards of Lucid and the top-range Model S, will likely be perfectly adequate for many driver’s needs.
Genesis promises additional details and specifications closer to the model’s on-sale date, which we also still don’t know. At the earliest, we expect it may hit roads in fall 2021 or early-to-mid 2022.
(Images courtesy Genesis)
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