Twitter headlines« Tesla Brings Chrysler Vet on Board to Lead Engineering and Manufacturing | Main | FTA to Award $240K for Demonstration of Hybrid Small Transit Vehicle »
Hyundai to Begin Retail Sales of LPG Hybrid in July 2009
8 July 2008
Hyundai Motor Company confirmed plans to start retail sales of its first LPG-electric hybrid vehicle (earlier post) in July 2009. To be sold initially in the Korean domestic market under the Avante badge, the Elantra LPI Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) is the first production hybrid vehicle to be powered by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and to use Lithium Polymer batteries (supplied by LG Chem).
Powered by a Liquefied Petroleum Injected (LPI) Gamma engine displacing 1.6 liters, a 15 kW electric motor and a continuously variable transmission, the Elantra LPI HEV is a mild-type hybrid that will deliver what Hyundai calls a “competitive fuel economy rating.”
The LPI engine uses direct injection. An electronic control unit (ECU) receives signals from various sensors, determines the engine state, and controls the fuel pump, injector, and ignition coil to ensure an optimal air-fuel ratio, improved engine performance and lower emissions.
The Elantra LPI HEV emits 103 g/km of CO2 and 90% fewer emissions than an equivalent standard gasoline-powered Elantra to qualify as a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV).
The Elantra LPI HEV promises to be as much as 40% cheaper to operate than other competitor models in the marketplace and 50%less than a conventional Elantra model powered by a gasoline-only engine. Calculations are based on Korean domestic retail price of 1,907.08 KRW per liter of gasoline (US$7.03/gallon US) and LPG price of 1,828.65 KRW (US$1.78) per kilogram as of the first week of June.
LPG has about 73% of the energy content of gasoline: 84,950 Btu/gal vs. 116,090 Btu/gal, LHV, according to the US Department of Energy.
The Elantra LPI HEV will have a premium cost compared to a conventional Elantra, but buyers can expect to recover the extra cost of the vehicle in about two years, according to Hyundai.
Current plants call for expanding the hybrid vehicle line-up to include mid-sized sedans in 2010. Hyundai will release more detailed technical specifications closer to the July 2009 launch date.
July 8, 2008 in Brief | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Comments
Posted by: critta | July 08, 2008 at 03:52 PM
Diesel was and still should be a cheaper fuel than gasoline because it is easier to make. But cars started using it and fuel companies stated charging premium prices for the more efficient operation of the fuel that they contributed nothing to. The same will happen to LP gas. There should be no new hybrid cars built that are not plug in hybrids to some degree. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | July 08, 2008 at 10:10 PM
Finally combining hybrids and LPG or any fuel is smart. This makes everything more efficient and allows us to use the best of both choices.
A oure electric is great but an elantra with 100 range and lithium battereis would be 100K. I can't afford that. Using LPG and hybirds make it affordable and ramps up production of the batteries a little at a time.
This can make the Pickins plan accually work and smarter.
Posted by: jim | December 14, 2008 at 07:49 PM
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c4fbe53ef00e5538f41d58833
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Hyundai to Begin Retail Sales of LPG Hybrid in July 2009:
Bring a family sized sedan version to Australia and I will buy one. LPG is widely available here and cheap (about 60 cents a litre).
I'm just about to convert my Mitsubishi wagon to dual fuel to ease the pain of petrol prices. The bonus is that GHG emissions are slightly lower than for petrol and air pollution emissions are much lower.