- The 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid brings the automaker’s TMED-II hybrid system to the U.S. for the primary time.
- It is the second technology of Hyundai’s solely in-house developed parallel-hybrid system, which boosts effectivity and energy.
- TMED-II additionally brings extra EV-like options to hybrids.
Whereas electrical automobiles have made plain strides over the previous decade, hybrids can really feel like they’re nonetheless considerably within the shadows of the Toyota Prius, which debuted again within the ’90s and developed in cautious, incremental steps. However with hybrid gross sales surging throughout the globe, automakers are pushing gas-electric powertrains into excessive gear.
Hyundai, for one, has gone all-in. Its U.S. lineup already consists of hybrid variations of the Santa Fe, Tucson, Sonata and Elantra. Now, the 2026 Palisade joins the pack and it’s debuting Hyundai Motor Group’s second-generation TMED-II hybrid system.
TMED stands for Transmission-Mounted Electrical Drive and this revised setup brings significant upgrades over the system’s first iteration. In comparison with the TMED-I system on present Hyundai hybrids, TMED-II on the brand new Palisade is extra highly effective, extra environment friendly and provides drivers extra management over the hybrid battery’s state of cost, one thing they couldn’t do earlier than.
Picture by: Suvrat Kothari
The Santa Fe Hybrid, for example, makes use of a 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-four engine paired with a 60-horsepower electrical motor and a 1.49 kWh lithium-ion battery. Now, this new Palisade Hybrid will get a bigger 2.4-liter turbocharged inline-four engine and a 1.65 kWh battery teamed up with two electrical motors.
The smaller 17-hp (13 kilowatt) motor helps the car fireplace up and powers in-vehicle features. The bigger 72-hp (54 kW) motor drives the wheels and aids with regenerative braking. They’re each compact models mounted contained in the transmission case, with out rising the scale by a lot, Melvyn Bautista, the product planning supervisor at Hyundai Motor America informed InsideEVs on the New York Auto Present.
The battery has grown modestly. However not like Toyota’s power-split hybrid system, Hyundai makes use of a parallel-hybrid structure. (You may dive into the variations between the 2 right here.)
Picture by: Suvrat Kothari
Hyundai estimates the Palisade Hybrid will return 34 miles per gallon, good for a projected driving vary of 619 miles. That’s a severe quantity for a car this measurement. The hybrid system additionally makes it extra highly effective than the V6 Palisade, including 90 hp for a mixed estimated output of 329 hp and as much as 339 pound-feet of torque.
There’s additionally a brand new Keep Mode accessed through the touchscreen. It permits drivers to run the HVAC, infotainment, radio and different in-car techniques with out firing up the fuel engine. Which means you may keep parked—at a trailhead, at a sport or a campsite—and nonetheless energy up the cabin purely on electrical energy.
Higher nonetheless, you may put together for it. Drivers can activate Keep Mode a number of miles earlier than reaching their vacation spot. The system will then use the engine and regenerative braking to cost the battery to 70–80% earlier than arriving. As soon as parked, the car can run its techniques on that saved cost with out the engine always turning on and off, as many hybrids do at present whereas idling.
It may very well be a helpful characteristic for households. If the youngsters have soccer follow within the morning after which a sport within the afternoon, they could have to kill the time between the classes within the automotive, particularly if it is freezing or sweltering outdoors. The Keep Mode will permit them to take a seat inside, stream reveals, blast music, or take a nap, all with out turning the engine on for as much as two hours.
Future variations of this hybrid system are additionally anticipated to get vehicle-to-load (V2L) performance, which permits powering exterior home equipment utilizing the car’s battery. That is widespread on trendy EVs, however not on hybrids but.
This T-MED II system is simply a glimpse of what’s subsequent for hybrid expertise—they’re poised to get extra power dense packs, extra environment friendly motors and extra EV-like options in time.
Have a tip? Contact the creator: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com
