Hyundai Joins EV Fray

by Bertel Schmitt

Published: September 17th, 2010

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.

#BertelSchmitt #ElectricVehicle #EV #Green #Hyundai #Japan #Korea #Mitsubishi

Bertel Schmitt

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.

More by Bertel Schmitt

Comments

Join the conversation

2 of 5 comments

SCE to AUX on Sep 17, 2010
"South Korea’s government plans to replace 20 percent of the country’s passenger cars with EVs by 2020." That 'plan' sounds similar to the ill-fated plan California once had, but was forced to change, since real, paying customers still prefer the practicality of internal combustion.

Like Reply
Charly on Sep 17, 2010

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.

Like Reply

Recent Comments

Loser I love these MN12 vehicles. We had a 92 Cougar, my dad had an 89, mom and brother both had T-birds. Wife and I still talk about that car and wish they still made cars like these. It was a very good car for us, 130,000 miles of trouble free and comfortable driving. Sold it to a guy that totaled it a month after purchase. Almost bought a 97 T-bird the 4.6 when I found out it was the last of them but the Cougar was paid for and hard to justify starting payments all over.
CoastieLenn I would do dirrrrrrty things for a pristine 95-96 Thunderbird SC.
Whynotaztec Like any other lease offer it makes sense to compare it to a purchase and see where you end up. The math isn’t all that hard and sometimes a lease can make sense, sometimes it can’t. the tough part with EVs now is where is the residual or trade in value going to be in 3 years?
Rick T. "If your driving conditions include near-freezing temps for a few months of the year, seek out a set of all-seasons. But if sunshine is frequent and the spectre of 60F weather strikes fear into the hearts of your neighbourhood, all-seasons could be a great choice." So all-seasons it is, apparently!
1995 SC Should anyone here get a wild hair and buy this I have the 500 dollar tool you need to bleed the rear brakes if you have to crack open the ABS. Given the state you will. I love these cars (obviously) but trust me, as an owner you will be miles ahead to shell out for one that was maintained. But properly sorted these things will devour highway miles and that 4.6 will run forever and should be way less of a diva than my blown 3.8 equipped one. (and forget the NA 3.8...140HP was no match for this car).As an aside, if you drive this you will instantly realize how ergonomically bad modern cars are.These wheels look like the 17's you could get on a Fox Body Cobra R. I've always had it in the back of my mind to get a set in the right bolt pattern so I could upgrade the brakes but I just don't want to mess up the ride. If that was too much to read, from someone intamately familiar with MN-12's, skip this one. The ground effects alone make it worth a pass. They are not esecially easy to work on either.