With its futuristic and space-age styling, we’re honestly surprised that the Hyundai Staria doesn’t come with an electric powertrain option. At the moment, there’s gas and diesel, as well as a hybrid version that available in select markets.
That’s soon to change as reports say a pure electric Staria is coming this year. According to Newsis, one of South Korea’s largest news agencies, production could start as early as January 2025.
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Newsis mentioned that Hyundai will begin converting one of its production lines for the assembly of the electric Staria. The Korean Economic Daily also reports that the main market for these vans is Europe, no surprise given it’s one of the biggest markets for electric vans. Some potential rivals include the Ford e-Tourneo, Volkswagen e-Caravelle, and Toyota Proace Electric.
Technically speaking, however, the electric Staria already exists, but not in the way one would think. A few months ago, Hyundai released a model dubbed the ST1, the company’s latest electric commercial vehicle. It rides on the same platform as the Staria, and even has the van’s front end and interior. Currently, in comes in cargo van, refrigerated van or cab and chassis body styles and is also known as the Iveco eMoovy in European markets.
It’s unknown what body configurations the electric Hyundai Staria will have. But from what we know about the European van market, it’s likely to come in panel van or passenger van bodies. Heavy duty and purpose-built configurations could be left to the Iveco versions.
Powertrains are a mystery at this point, but will likely be similar to the ST1 or slightly better. It could use the current 76.1kWh battery with 215hp or the newer 84kWh pack but still with the same power output. The latter should offer more range, vital in vans and cargo hauling.
