Hyundai ST1 2024, the electric van we want
It’s crazy how letters can mean different things from one manufacturer to another. If we take the letters ST at Porsche, it can mean Sport Touring, but, at Hyundai, it’s more like Service Type. Obviously, the applications are completely different too, we are talking here about a fully electric compact commercial van, the Hyundai ST1 compared to a 911 which borders on perfection!
While in North America, Hyundai continues to be conspicuous by its absence in the world of commercial vehicles, elsewhere in the world, the range is expanding, and a new offering is sure to capture our attention. Indeed, we already know the Staria van for its capabilities which allow it to transport from 2 to 11 people, but also for its commercial versions, including the Load.
A new fully electric form
The model we are now discovering retains the unique design, but in a new, fully electric form. The model will be offered in various configurations: a traditional van, a refrigerated van and a chassis cab which allows even more possibilities through aftermarket equipment manufacturers. In order to keep the price as low as possible, only the main styling elements specific to the Staria range are retained, including the single LED strip which crosses the front part.
Just like the Load, we retain steel wheels. However, as it is strictly for commercial purposes, there is no need to paint the front bumper. Usually, this approach makes vehicles look low-end, just think of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter to understand. However, with the ST1, due to the very low headlight assembly configuration, it appears to simply have a two-tone paint job.
As the STI has an electric engine, its rounded cabin will allow it to have a better drag coefficient. With the addition of the box at the rear, the stylists took great care to rework the roof and even the front of the box which extends beyond the passenger compartment to optimize aerodynamics.
Unfortunately, Hyundai does not share the technical specifications of the ST1. Although it was welcome in North America to offer a more compact alternative to large electric vans, it won’t be coming.
Our opinion
The world of commercial vans is very mysterious. All the small vans like the Ford Transit Connect, Nissan NV200 or Ram ProMaster City have all left. All that remains is the big players who necessarily consume more and who also take up more space. We solve the problem of consumption with electric models like the e-Sprinter, e-Transit, ProMaster EV or even the BrighDrop EV600, but they remain bulky and too big for many users.
Hyundai, by offering the ST1 in electric form, would certainly have an opportunity to break into the commercial van market with a proposition different from the others. Unfortunately, that won’t happen.
