Hyundai Built a Bigger Hybrid for the New Palisade

The redesigned 2026 Hyundai Palisade will be the first of the automaker’s models to feature a flexible new hybrid setup that uses two electric motors instead of one.

The system will launch with the Hyundai and Kia brands, with a dedicated rear-wheel-drive version destined for the Genesis premium marque sometime in 2026, according to the Hyundai Motor Group. The automaker said the next-generation hybrid system will work with a turbocharged 2.5L four-cylinder in the stylish new Palisade, although it’s compatible with “a wide range of internal combustion engines.” While Hyundai didn’t disclose the array of engine sizes it can work with, it said output would go from the “low-100” range to about 350 horsepower.

Dual-Motor Design

Unlike the existing hybrid system used by both Hyundai and Kia that’s based around a single electric motor sandwiched between a turbocharged 1.6L four-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic transmission, the next-gen setup uses a second integrated electric motor to boost both output and efficiency. The new motor is meant to handle starting and electric energy generation, as well as to “assist propulsion,” while the second unit is dedicated to driving the wheels and recuperating kinetic energy through regenerative braking.

Toyota famously employs a similar dual-motor setup that pairs two electric motor-generator units with a gas engine. However, that version divides the responsibility for propulsion and generation between them.

The Details

While typical automobile engines are of the four-stroke variety, made of intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust cycles, the new 2.5L uses what Hyundai described as an “over-expansion cycle” that delays intake valve closure during compression. This, according to the automaker, lowers “the effective compression ratio” in the cylinder “while maintaining a high expansion ratio during the combustion process.”

This extra step is said to reduce the amount of energy used during the compression cycle while maximizing how much is generated following combustion, which makes it more efficient. Also helping is a new piston design and “a significantly expanded triple fuel injection range” that boosts combustion speed and stability while leading to a more subdued detonation process.

Hyundai said bolting the electric motor responsible for ignition directly to the gas engine cuts start time, while it’s been incorporated into the transmission logic for faster and smoother shifts. That same motor also reduces engine vibration — presumably through pulses of electrons like the 48-volt mild-hybrid system formerly employed by the Ram and Jeep brands.

Final Thoughts

Hyundai said a new turbo 1.6L hybrid using the same dual-motor setup is on its way to replace the existing powertrain used in a number of the group’s products, including the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage and Sorento crossovers. It also announced plans for a Toyota-style e-axle in the back that uses a separate electric motor to provide emissions-free all-wheel drive.

Hyundai didn’t announce which specific models are slated to receive hybrid power beyond the Palisade, although it promised more information in the coming months.