Mar

Hyundai Will Have Hybrids Next Year - And Fuel Cells in 2012?

Posted by admin Published in Hyundai

Hyundai Motor Co. promises to open “a new era for environmentally friendly cars” when it begins producing hybrids next year - and fuel cell vehicles in 2012. Yes, that’s right - fuel cell vehicles.

It’s no surprise the South Korean automaker wants to cash in on the hybrid craze, and it’s worth noting Hyundai made its announcement just four days after Toyota said it would start selling the Prius, the hybrid Camry and other models in South Korea next year. But mass-producing fuel cell electric vehicles within four years? That’s out of left field. But Hyundai says developing alternative fuel vehicles is “imperative” for “sustainable growth.”

Hyundai plans to go up against the Prius and Civic Hybrid with a “liquefied petroleum injection hybrid” version of the Elantra. In other words, a propane-electric hybrid.

Propane?

Yes, propane. It is widely available in South Korean and Hyundai says it is cleaner and more efficient than gasoline. That said, the global market for propane-electric hybrids undoubtedly is small, so Hyundai plans to offer conventional gas-electric hybrid versions of the Elantra and possibly the Sonata in 2010.

Although it might seem Hyundai is late to the hybrid party, the automaker and its Kia Motors subsidiary have provided 2,800 hybrid go (also known as the Getz), Verna (aka the Accent; that’s it in the photo) and Pride models to government fleets since 2004.

Hyundai plus has been experimenting with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for more than five years, and it has analysis fleets running in Korea and California. Its Tuscon FCEV, which has a claimed range of about 217 miles and a top speed of 93 mph, placed first among fuel cell vehicles in final year’s Michelin Challenge Bibendum green-car competition.

Hyundai says it will expand its fuel cell experiment fleet to 500 vehicles by 2010, next “set up a small production system to start mass production from 2012.” There’s still the question of where society will fuel those vehicles, but that’s the subject of another post.

Photos courtesy Hyundai Motor Co.

Original post by Chuck Squatriglia