LPG/hybrid Elantra

Those in the know reckon that hybrid-drive technology in cars is a stop-gap solution with a limited lifespan. Hyundai seems not to have heard that or is paying no attention.

The Korean car company, which has many irons in the alternative fuels fire (more here), is planning to launch a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) that relies heavily on hybrid-drive technology. However, unlike hybrid vehicles from Toyota and Honda, this one features an LPG-fuelled engine and a new type of battery to store electrical energy.

Based on the company's Elantra sedan, the Elantra LPI Hybrid Electric Vehicle produces just 103g/km of CO2. The vehicle is a practical solution to the twin problems of reducing fossil fuel consumption and caring for the environment.

Hyundai estimates that with the lower cost of LPG, the price premium for the new car over the cost of a standard petrol Elantra can be amortised within two years.

To be launched this time next year, the car will only be sold in South Korea initially, but Hyundai is considering exports -- and Australia, with its extensive LPG resupply infrastructure, would be a logical choice.

For Australian consumers, the Elantra would offer running costs lower than those of a petrol/electric hybrid and none of the cleanliness issues associated with filling up from a diesel pump. Hyundai expects that most consumers will see a saving up to 50 per cent over the cost of running a conventional petrol Elantra.

The Elantra delivers a couple of 'firsts'. It's the first car to mate an LPG-fuelled internal combustion engine in a hybrid-drive coupling and it's the first to store electrical energy in Lithium-Polymer batteries.

According to LG Chem, the company supplying the batteries to Hyundai, the Li-Poly batteries cost less to manufacture than lithium-ion batteries and are capable of handling higher energy density. For the win, they can be drained and recharged over a longer life than lithium-ion batteries.

The company doesn't say whether the production process for the batteries is environmentally-friendly or whether the batteries will be easily recycled or disposed at the end of their useful lives.

The batteries will power a 15kW Direct Current electric motor which will combine with the 1.6-litre internal combustion engine through a continuously variable transmission.

"The Elantra LPI HEV demonstrates Hyundai's innovative approach: We have leveraged Hyundai's world leadership in LPG-fuelled vehicles to develop a hybrid that will be very economical to operate," said Hyun-Soon Lee, President of Hyundai's Research and Development Division.

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