Hyundai Motor America announced today that it will be able to achieve a fleet average of 35 miles per gallon by 2015, five years ahead of the timetable for new fuel economy regulations. The company revealed its fuel economy goals at the Los Angeles Auto Show, where it unveiled Hyundai’s first gas-electric hybrid vehicle, the Hyundai Sonata sedan—slated for the North American market in 2010.
“We’re taking fuel efficiency higher and faster than any other carmaker. We’re going to pass Toyota and Honda by 2015,” said John Krafcik, vice president of product development at Hyundai Motor America.
Hyundai’s fuel efficiency campaign—dubbed “Hyundai Blue Drive”—features a range of advanced technologies, including hybrids powered by lithium batteries, turbocharged gasoline direct injection, and eventually plug-in hybrids and fuel cell electric vehicles. But in keeping with its brand, Hyundai will also focus on near-term, low-cost fuel efficiency strategies—such as low-rolling-resistance tires, enhanced aerodynamics, and revised engine calibrations—to offer the highest mpg at the lowest cost. Next year, Hyundai will introduce these measures in “blue versions” of its Accent and Elantra models, allowing the company to price the higher-mpg models lower than conventional models.
Krafcik compared today’s breed of efficiency enthusiasts with yesterday’s muscle car fans who opted for performance over comfort. “In this age, fuel efficiency is the new zero-to-60 time,” he said. “It’s more socially relevant.”
Hyundai developed its own homegrown hybrid architecture for use in the Sonata. The technical design, known as a parallel hybrid system, will serve as the foundation for future hybrid drive vehicles introduced by Hyundai. In a parallel hybrid, the wheels are turned by power coming directly from the gasoline engine, the electric motor, or both together, as conditions demand. This approach is similar to the design used by Toyota and Ford.
The more significant innovation is the use of a lithium polymer battery system provided by Hyundai’s battery supplier, LG Chem. According to Hyundai, the lithium batteries deliver the same power as today’s hybrid nickel metal hydride batteries—but with 30 percent less weight, 50 percent less volume and 10 percent greater efficiency.
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