We've been keeping pretty close tabs on the Hyundai Avante / Elantra LPI mild electric hybrid. Just when we thought there couldn't possibly any new details to add about the propane burner, out pops a press release from the Korean manufacturer announcing that the LG Chem-supplied battery underpinning the hybrid component of the car will actually be lithium polymer (li-poly) as opposed to the lithium ion type that had been previously publicized. Now you may be thinking to yourself, understandably, "Ok, so what? What's that even mean?" Well, we could tell you that the electrolyte in the li-poly battery is held within a solid polymer composite instead of an organic solvent, but that probably wouldn't mean as much as the hard numbers describing its energy capacity and longevity and such. Unfortunately, those numbers weren't supplied by Hyundai who were content only to say this formulation has "...higher energy density, lower manufacturing costs, being more robust to physical damage and they can also take more charge–discharge cycles before storage capacity begins to degrade." Thank you, Hyundai.

We will have to take their word for those claims for now. If they do manage to begin retail sales of the car in Korea around this time next year, as currently planned, at least one of the other claim touted in their bulletin should indeed be true. They will be the first to feature this chemistry. For all the details and chest thumping, check out the press release after the break.

[Source: Hyundai]

Hyundai will release its first hybrid vehicle for sale to the general public in 2009, as long as the general public in question lives in Korea. Though the automaker has been testing hybrids for the last few years, only government officials were able to drive the vehicles. According to Hyundai, though, none of the research and development costs for its hybrid drivetrain were paid for through government grants. This information seems much more important after Mark Fields' recent assertion that the Korean government had provided assistance to its automakers for the development of the fuel-saving technology. There has also been some question as to whether the Japanese government helped pay for hybrid development, though Toyota denies these allegations.

Regardless of who has funded its development, Hyundai's first hybrid will be the Avante, which is known as the Elantra in the U.S. Interestingly, the first versions of the vehicle will use liquified petroleum gas (LPG) for fuel, along with, of course, electricity. The year 2010 will bring a flex-fuel version capable of using gasoline or LPG. So far, there is no announcement regarding a launch date in the states, though Hyundai indicates it would like to be selling hybrids here by 2011. By that time, the market will be much more crowded.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Do you have a small family and a dog? For many Europeans in that or a similar situation, station wagons are the ride of choice, despite the SUV and minivan craze. Buying a station wagon often means that you're buying a fuel efficient vehicle which can carry lots of stuff, and some of these vehicles can even seat seven. The key to an fuel-saving family hauler is finding that elusive combination of being compact in size, roomy inside and fitted to a efficient powertrain. Compact minivans, SUVs and CUVs sometimes fit these qualifications, as we discussed when we posed a list of European fuel saving people carriers. That list included some station wagons that seat seven, and today's list expands on that and shows the 20 most fuel-efficient station wagons on sale in Europe. Don't think all of them are made by European automakers. Find the full list after the jump.

Liquified petroleum gas (commonly referred to as propane) has never really caught as a motor fuel in the U.S. although it is used by some fleets. However, drivers in Australia may have a new LPG-fueled vehicle to choose from. In fact they may have an LPG mild hybrid available soon at Hyundai dealers. Hyundai Australia is considering local production of the LPG hybrid Elantra that goes on sale in Korea in 2009. Australia has sufficient domestic supplies of LPG that they don't have to import any. With 3,200 LPG filling stations, Australia significantly outnumbers the 2,500 stations in the US.

Even though consumption on LPG is slightly higher than gasoline, the total operating costs of an LPG hybrid Elentra are significantly less than a Prius. In Australia, LPG is $3.26/U.S. gallon less than gasoline. That means an average driver could operate the LPG hybrid Elantra on less than $10 a week. Hyundai has field tested about 100 LPG hybrid Elantras and is reportedly close to finishing validation of the system. The mild hybrid Elantra uses a 15kW motor, LG Chem lithium ion battery and 1.6L engine. The LPG hybrid is thought to get about 47mpg (U.S.) compared to 53mpg for the Prius. Gasoline currently runs $5.80 a gallon in Australia and an LPG mild hybrid could be much less expensive to operate. Hyundai is also developing both plug-in and non-plug variants of a strong hybrids and could begin limited production of a fuel cell vehicle by 2012.

[Source: Drive.com.au]

Nobody could ever accuse Hyundai of not thinking big. The Korean carmaker has grown into the fourth largest volume import brand in the U.S. market and is now on the verge of launching into the luxury and high-performance segments. So far, aside from some concepts and relatively efficient small cars, they haven't made any big waves in the green tech area, at least in the U.S. In an interview with Britain's AutoCar print edition, CEO Dr. Kim Dong-Jin made it clear the company is targeting the big dogs like Toyota in the coming decade. Hyundai has been running test fleets of hybrids in Korea, as well as fuel cell vehicles in both Korea and the U.S. Dr. Kim claims that Hyundai's products will be more advanced than the Prius. The question is will they be more advanced than today's Prius or the third-gen model that's coming next year? Hyundai is developing a lot of technology in-house, including fuel cells, hybrids and diesels that are already offered overseas and coming to the U.S. as soon as 2010. Hybrids are due to arrive at about the same time with limited numbers of fuel cell vehicles hitting the market a year after that.

[Source: AutoCar, via Winding Road]

Hyundai i10

Hyundai looks set to be latest challenger in the ultra low cost car ranks in India with their announcement of a new model targeted for that market. Tata Motors kicked things off with the introduction of the Nano earlier this year with its starting base price of only $2,500 U.S. It doesn't look like Hyundai plans to go quite that low, instead coming in a little higher at $3,500. Development of the new model is only now beginning with a target launch date of 2012. According to Hyundai's Indian boss H.S. Lim, the new car is not meant to be a direct competitor to the Nano (a thousand dollars might not be a big deal on a $50,000 SUV, but since that amount is almost half the cost of the Nano, people will notice), even though better-equipped versions of the Nano can exceed the Hyundai's price point. In the meantime, Hyundai is launching natural gas and propane versions of several models, including the Accent and Santro this year.

[Source: TheCarBlogger]

If you check any European car ad, you will see in tiny letters at the bottom the car's consumption and CO₂ production figures. This information is a mandatory requirement in Spain. But, according to Ecologistas en Acción and the Unión de Consumidores de España (UCE), an environmental organization and a consumer union from Spain respectively, these figures are not accurate and could be misleading.

Spain taxes the purchase of cars depending on CO₂ production figures, therefore it's a consumer's right to know previously what these figures are. UCE found out that 11 automakers didn't have accurate information or their ads were plainly misleading, like saying a car is under 119 g/km when it's just one model and the ad focus on the sport version that produces more than 200 g/km. Also, these figures tend to be hidden with small print. They also accuse automakers of trivializing these figures because all cars pollute even when polluting less.

Don't think it's just one automaker: Hyundai, Nissan, Seat, Volkswagen, Peugeot, Honda, Citroën, Opel, Dacia and Mercedes-Benz were accused of these practices.

[Source: Ecologistas en Acción via Econoticias]

Click above for high-res gallery of the Hyundai i800

While Hyundai offers a front wheel drive minivan in the U.S. market called the Entourage, it's only available with the Korean manufacturer's 3.8L gas V-6. It gets an EPA overall rating of 18mpg, which is competitive in its segment here in North America but no great shakes overall. Overseas, Hyundai has just released a new eight-seat rear wheel drive full-sized van called the i800. The i800 gets motivation from a 2.5L four cylinder diesel engine with common rail injection. The diesel generates 170hp and 289lb-ft of torque which won't get any enthusiasts excited in this application (what enthusiast would get excited about a van like this, anyway?) but should be more than adequate for the purpose. This could make a great car pool vehicle especially if you translate the 28mpg it achieves into a per person basis with eight passengers aboard. Hyundai is known to be developing a diesel V-6 for the US market but so far there is no indication that the four cylinder will come here. Details after the jump.

Hyundai is already far closer to meeting the new corporate average fuel economy standards than most automakers thanks to their current fleet averages of 32.4mpg for cars and 25.5 for trucks. Under the new footprint-based formula that sets individual standards for manufacturers based on the size of the vehicles they sell, Hyundai will have to reach a higher than average threshold. By 2015, Hyundai's car fleet will have to average 37.5mpg and the trucks will have to hit 31mpg. According to Timothy White, senior manager of the powertrain department at the Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center near Ann Arbor, the company expects to get about half that improvement from improvements in engines and transmissions. The company will be shifting from five to six speed transmissions over the next few years and adding direct fuel injection. Hyundai is also developing alternative powertrains like hybrids and diesel engines for vehicles like the Veracruz and Kia Borrego.

The rest of the improvement will come from a variety of other technologies including the obvious ones like improved aerodynamics, lower rolling resistance tires and reductions in vehicle mass. Other improvements will come from reductions in parasitic losses in less obvious areas. Shifting to electric power steering which uses power only when needed instead of driving a hydraulic pump continuously is one area targeted for improvement. Another is using LED lighting to reduce the electrical load on the alternator.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Yes, it's true. The good hard-working folks employed by the president's office (of South Korea) are about to get Hyundai hybrid happy. (Or possibly sad if you're the dude or dudette getting the Kia.) The plan, according to office spokesman Lee Dong-kwan, is "...to use the hybrid-electric vehicles (HEV) to raise public awareness of the environment industry as an alternative engine for growth and energy-saving [sic]." He went on to say that the president, newly-elected Lee Myung-bak, would also be using the car "if needed." It is pure speculation on my part that the "need" is unlikely to arise.

The two models being considered are the Hyundai Vernon (sold here in non-hybrid form as the Accent and pictured above) and the Kia Pride. As well as showcasing the environmental attitudes of the country's leadership, the move may also reflect the direction of the South Korean car manufacturer.

[Source: The Korea Times]

Looks like the Aussies are getting their very first zero-emissions-vehicle, the Blade Runner. Converted from the gasoline-powered Hyundai Getz (as seen above), the Blade Runner uses an AC motor powered by twin banks of lithium iron phosphate batteries and is capable of going up to 100 kilometers (62.5 miles) on a single charge. Although not particularly cheap at $35,000 for the retrofit (about $32,000 US), the Blade Runner is still the first of its kind in Oz, and it comes from a small manufacturer, Blade Electric Vehicles, the brainchild of Ross Blade.

According to this article, some new owners of the Blade Runner are even go so far as to charge their batteries using solar power. There's a short video of the car here, which shows Australian Democrats Leader Lyn Allison giving the Blade Runner a once-over. It seems that Blade Electric Vehicles is looking to secure a deal to provide electric cars to the government.

[Source: Blade Electric Vehicles via CarDomain]

Hyundai announced Sunday that it will be jumping whole-heartedly into the hybrid business. A day after Toyota announced that its Prius and Camry hybrid models would be sold on its South Korean home turf, Hyundai has let it be known they would speed up their mass production plans and counter their competitor at home and abroad. Because of rising fuel costs and consumer eco-awareness, the company is predicting over a million hybrids to be sold annually by 2010 and it wants a large slice of that action.

The first model to undergo the transformation will be the 2009 Elantra, sold in South Korea as the Avante. It will initially run on LPG while a gasoline version will soon be developed for the American market. Not mentioned specifically in the news release was whether or not it would be a plug-in hybrid as had been rumoured although we are pretty sure LG Chem will be the battery supplier. The ambitious plan calls for similar treatment to occur with its other major models, starting with the Sonata in 2010.

While touring a Kia plant, Chairman Chung Mong Koo, let slip, "...We also plan to produce a small fleet of fuel cell electric vehicles from 2012." We have known that Hyundai is competent with fuel cell technology but it remains to be seen whether any amount of refueling infrastructure is put in place to make North American sales feasible in the next few years. Hit the jump to read the news release directly from Hyundai.

Pininfarina Sintesi, the Th!nk Ox, the KTM X-Bow, the Audi R8 TDI Le Mans, the Toyota iQ, the Rinspeed sQuba, the John Cooper Works Mini (and Clubman), the Morgan LifeCar, Land Rover LRX in black, the Mercedes BlueEFFICIENCY C-Class and Vision GLK BlueTec hybrid, the Opel Meriva, the VW Sharan Bluemotion, the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics, the VW Passat EcoFuel, the Mila Alpin, the Saab 9-1X Biohybrid and the Hyundai i-mode.

You know these names and have read about what these vehicles are and what they promise. Now, you can kick back and spend some time getting better acquainted with how these vehicles look. The gallery for the Sintesi
is below. Check out over 75 more photos after the jump.

click for high-resolution gallery of the HED 5 i mode

Color me disappointed. When Hyundai teased the announcement of the HED-5 "i-mode" concept crossover about a month ago, the company was saying it would feature "exceptional fuel economy." These sorts of things are easy to promise in a concept car, but the official statement from Hyundai, now that the vehicle has been unveiled in Geneva, doesn't give any mileage details. Instead, we hear a lot about the front seat that can swivel around so the front passenger can engage the four people in the back of the car. On the green front, the HED-5 i-mode uses lightweight body materials and Bayer-designed "self-healing water based bodywork finishes" that somehow work to repair minor scratches automatically. More standard eco-touches are in the exhaust gas recirculation system, which reduces NOx emissions and will help the new 2.2-litre R diesel engine meet future Euro emissions standards. The R engines will be coming in production vehicles starting in 2009 - first as single turbocharged versions and then as dual-stage turbocharged editions in early 2011. I guess that's not all bad. More details after the jump.

Hyundai i10. (The model that replaced the Atos) 5-door hatchback. South Korea. $9,096

Hyundai recently changed the names of its cars from actual words to numbers after the letter i. Because of this, the Atos, the smallest member of the Hyundai lineup, became the i10. We've talked about this model before here on AutoblogGreen.

With a lot in common with the Kia Picanto, the i10 is a very simple car that is just a few inches larger than a Japanese Kei Car. It seats 5 (almost) and was unveiled, remarkably, in India. You can have it with a gasoline 1.1-liter I4 75 HP engine and, in some markets, with a fuel-sipping diesel 1.1-liter I-3 good for 65 HP.

You can buy it in India, South Korea, Latin America and even Europe, where it's one of the cheapest options available.


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