Hyundai is one of the fastest up and coming brands in the world and it is one that has been steadily continuing to make profits over the past couple years. The company has also had some great hits with the all-new for 2010 Hyundai Sonata and the Hyundai Genesis Sedan and Coupe. While rumors still fly about the reintroduction of the Tiburon, Hyundai revealed early this week its first production-ready fully electric car—BlueOn.

BlueOn, is based on Hyundai’s Asia market i10 hatchback and has been developed over a one year period. Investment figures tip the scales at about 40 billion Won or $34 Million U.S. That is some pretty quick development and a whole lot of investment into what some are saying is the future of the automotive industry. It does make you wonder if Hyundai has a hydrogen powered vehicle also hiding in development; if they do it would but them right in line with Honda’s development process and reinforce their position as a formidable competitor to the long time Japanese brand.

Hyundai’s BlueOn is equipped with an electric motor producing 61kW (82 hp). The motor draws power from a 16.4 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack, which is said to give an estimated driving range of 140 km or 87 miles. Of course that is on a single charge, which brings us to charging. The battery can be refueled, if you will, within six hours on a regular household power supply (keep in mind this is in Korea, so don’t assume this is at 120 Volt). There is also a ‘quick charge’ system that will allow the battery to be charged to about 80 percent capacity in approximately 25 minutes.

The performance numbers aren’t anything to write home about at a 0-100 km/h time of 13.1 seconds (that is 0-62 for those of us on the imperial system). It will also reach a top speed of 130 km/h or 81 mph. Speaking of performance, the company is planning on producing 30 BlueOn test fleet vehicles for Korean government organizations over the next few months. They will also be developing a charging infrastructure over the next two years. It will most likely be some time before we see an EV pop across the pond to our shores, but it is interesting to watch the progress now that consumers are aware of these types of vehicles. You could say Nissan did the leg work with educating consumers on the Leaf and now other companies can build on that education.

Bottom line—Hyundai is a company to keep an eye on with a lot of innovation and good design coming out of their studios.

 

 

 

[Source: Car Scoop]