South Korean President Lee-Myun Bak drives the first Hyundai BlueOn electric vehicle.
Hyundai has launched what is not only the Korean carmaker’s first battery-electric vehicle but the first BEV produced in that country. The maker says a limited run of the BlueOn will be put through a two-year field test, with Hyundai planning to steadily increase production capacity by the end of 2012.
The company says it has invested $34 million over the last year to bring to market the Hyundai BlueOn, which first appeared in concept form at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. Both the show car and production vehicle are based on the small Hyundai i10 hatchback.
(Even Ferrari goes electric. Click Here for more on the Italian maker’s hybrid Enzo replacement.)
“Consumers’ interests and demand for eco-friendly cars are rising and securing such advanced technology is critical in becoming an industry leader,” said Hyun-Soon Lee, Vice Chairman of Hyundai’s corporate R&D center.
Rated at a top speed of about 82 mph (130 km/h), the BlueOn is able to travel almost 90 miles (140 km) on a single charge of its lithium-ion polymer batteries, the maker today announced. Among other features, the BEV will be equipped with an advanced telematics system capable of not only showing the current state of charge but also the location of the nearest charging station.
The maker says it is working with the metropolitan Seoul government and other government agencies to set up a network of recharging stations. Using 220-volt household power, BlueOn’s 16.4-kilowatt/hour LiPoly battery pack will be able to recharge in about six hours. Special, high-speed 380V chargers will be used to provide an 80% quick charge in just 25 minutes, according to Hyundai.
A model shows the concept i30 electric vehicle being charged at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.
A single electric motor produces 82 horsepower and 155 pound-feet of torque for the Hyundai BlueOn, which measures just 141 inches nose-to-tail. That’s enough to launch it from 0 to 60 in about 13 seconds, a bit slower than what preliminary reports suggest the Nissan Leaf battery car will achieve. (The larger Leaf also gets an estimated 100 mile range from its 24 kWh of lithium-ion batteries.)
To minimize energy consumption, the Hyundai BlueOn will replace conventional motor-driven accessories, such as power steering, with more efficient electric drive systems.
Responding to growing concerns about the hazard nearly silent battery cars pose to pedestrians, Hyundai will equip the BlueOn with a Virtual Engine Sound System, or VESS, which creates an artificial, car-like noise when operating at low speeds.
Initial plans call for 30 copies of the Hyundai BlueOn to go into a test fleet. The primary goal, the maker says, is to help develop a charging infrastructure.
But production is expected to ramp up and reach 2,500 by the end of 2012.
In a June interview with TheDetroitBureau.com, Vice Chairman Less suggested Hyundai will be rapidly ramping up its battery car efforts, starting with the upcoming launch of the new Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.
“We expect around 20% of our total sales will be hybrids…globally…in 10 years,” said Vice Chairman Lee, who added that the main markets for the technology will likely be Europe, Japan, “and maybe China,” which is pushing its domestic makers to increase their own efforts to electrify.
(For more on that interview and Hyundai’s battery car plans, Click Here.)