Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Auto
  3. Outdoors
  4. News

Hyundai’s sleek new Staria electric campervan is a beauty, but there’s a catch

The understated exterior belies a fully modern, livable cabin with most of the comforts of home.

Chair, Furniture, Machine
Hyundai

Electric RVs are almost certainly the way of the future, and campervans are no exception. Hyundai just unveiled a fully-loaded, off-grid-ready version of its understated Staria van, and it’s a thing of beauty for vanlifers. But there’s a catch.

The reimagined Staria is an all-electric camper van from the powertrain to the fully-applianced kitchen. Hyundai spared no expense in making this a serious contender for vanlifers looking to spend extended time off-grid without sacrificing creature comforts. The concept includes an integrated pop-up power roof, ensuring the cabin is bright and breezy. It also creates a more roomy, livable interior with easier access to the cooking area.

Integrated into that expandable roof is a robust, lightweight 520-watt solar panel with a maximum output of 2.6kWh of electricity (assuming just five hours of sunlight per day). That’s a sizable amount of power that’s more than capable of running the Staria camper’s many features, including the 36-liter fridge and portable shower. There’s even a built-in climate control system to keep things at just the right temperature in almost any season, and electronically adjustable smart glass at the rear of the cabin helps keep things private too. It’s all controlled via a dedicated touchscreen panel at the rear.

Recommended Videos

Hyundai hints that the Staria campervan could be powered by the same 800-volt high-voltage architecture already in use in the company’s IONIQ line-up in Europe. The 160 kW system delivers smooth, even power to the front wheels with minimal noise and vibration. Plus, it can charge from 10 to 80 percent in about 20 minutes under ideal conditions. That’s huge for road-tripping EV owners looking to minimize range anxiety and refueling time while traveling.

The bad news? Unfortunately, the Staria is merely a concept — for now. If it’s well-received at this year’s CMT show in Germany, however, Hyundai may greenlight it for production. We’ll keep you posted.

Mike Richard
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
McLaren and Motul develop bespoke lubricant to keep them on top
Motul uses McLaren Racing to test the limits of their formulas
Auto Racing, Car, Formula One

My first vehicle was a 1988 Ford Ranger. It was small, reliable, and the perfect first car. However, I wasn't allowed to park it in the driveway at home because it went through as much oil as it did gas. The leak was bad enough that I had to check and refill the oil once a week. The same cadence as the gas tank. That was where I learned the importance of fluids for cars. McLaren hits the Formula 1 tracks across the globe with that importance at the forefront of mind as they compete for the championship, and will now be teaming with Motul to take their collaboration for the world's most reliable lubricant to the world of endurance racing. From the high stress of speed in Formula 1 to the endurance of long-distance racing, the perfect bespoke lubricant is on the way.

McLaren was already using a very high-performance transmission fluid, with an extremely high level of requirements. Our challenge was to go even further: decrease friction losses even more while ensuring lubricant durability over time. The formulation developed with McLaren Racing has been validated to maintain its performance over several thousand kilometers under Formula 1 conditions. And this is only the beginning: in F1, cars are constantly evolving, and the formulation will continue to progress as well. - Julien Plet, Head of R&D at Motul.

Read more
Award-winning Pininfarina documentary makes its North American debut
You can see the story behind the company that gave Ferrari its look
Architecture, Building, Factory

An award-winning documentary movie about one of the world’s best known sports car manufacturers is coming to North America. “Story of a Legend. Pininfarina” is set to make its American debut at Toronto’s Italian Contemporary Film Festival on July 10.

A winner of the 2026 Film Impresa Award, the Italian documentary has already performed well in Europe.

Read more
Charles Leclerc emerges victorious as British Grand Prix ends in controversy
It's Charles Leclerc's first win in almost two years
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton

Charles Leclerc earned his first victory in almost two years for Ferrari. Unfortunately for him, all the chatter around the British Grand Prix will be about its controversial ending that resulted in the 175,000-strong crowd at Silverstone booing after they were denied a dramatic finish.

The record crowd at Silverstone was in for a thriller from the start, with Leclerc staking claim to the lead, followed by Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton behind him. 19-year-old phenom Kimi Antonelli didn't need long to take over Hamilton. And it seemed like Antonelli was positioning himself for a stunning sixth Formula 1 victory, taking the lead after Leclerc made a pit stop.

Read more