Hyundai Joins EV Fray
Hyundai demands its fair share of a market that doesn’t exist. The Koreans are stepping up the development of EVs. Two days ago, Hyundai held a test drive event in the suburbs of Seoul. The invitees could drive a (blue is the new green) Hyundai BlueOn EV. The Nikkei [sub], who was invited, reports:
“The BlueOn accelerates smoothly to over 100kph and the inside is quiet, free from engine noise. It climbs steep slopes without a problem. Though a certain instability unique to small cars is evident, the vehicle’s performance appears no different than that of a gas-powered car.”
A Japanese news service praising a Korean car? Hyundai must be doing something right. According to The Nikkei, the BlueOn contains all South Korean technology. Its 61kw Hyosung motor brings it in 13.1 seconds to 100kph. Maximum speed is 130kph. The lithium-ion battery is made by SK Energy, the inverter hails from LS Industrial Systems.
At the meeting, Hyundai said that the car leaves a rival in the dust. Although the rival was not mentioned, the data displayed was immediately recognized as the stats of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV,
The BlueOn might be better than the Japanese competition, but it is plagued by the disease that has affected EVs around the world: Price.
The BlueOn’s production costs are believed to be about the same as those of a large luxury sedan. In order to not lose too much money, Hyundai plans to sell 2,500 electric vehicles by 2012. A price has not been decided yet.
South Korea’s government plans to replace 20 percent of the country’s passenger cars with EVs by 2020.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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It is doable in Korea. A third of the population lives in Greater Seoul and for that 140km is overkill. Busan, the other big city on the other side of the country is only 2 refuelings away. In fact i think the almost the whole country is 2 refuelings away with 140km batteries, Add an electrified highway and 200km batteries and everything is reachable in 1 recharge which is even good enough for a 1 car family.