Hyundai Kia Automotive Group Turns to Development of Green Cars

Korean carmaker group joins in the global competition for the development of eco-friendly and energy-efficient cars

Global carmakers are stepping on the gas to develop eco-friendly and energy-efficient vehicles under the cause of addressing climate change. Global automakers such as Toyota, General Motors and Mercedes Benz are seeking an advantage in the emerging global green car market.
The Hyundai Kia Automotive Group is no exception. The group is joining global automotive leaders in the race for the development of green cars.
This past March, the Korean automotive group unveiled its Vision 2020, "Together for a Better Future," designed to look back at the past decade and seize opportunities to move it forward in the decade to come as well as its new corporate identity.
The new vision calls for pursuing harmonious growth through respect for human beings and the promotion of environment-friendly management.
In an effort to translate the new vision into action, the group has created the world's first eco-friendly resources recycling belt ranging from crude steel making to car making as it successfully launched an integrated steel mill project.
In 2003, the group invested 1.138 trillion won in its efforts to step up eco-friendly management, accounting for some 3 percent of the group's total sales. The group set aside 1.992 trillion won in R&D outlays in 2009, up 75 percent over the previous year, and increased it an additional 53.3 percent in 2010.
DEVELOPING ITS OWN HYBRIDS - The group has made strides in the development of eco-friendly cars such as hybrid cars, electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
This past May, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors released the Sonata Hybrid and K5 Hybrid, ushering in an era of the domestic hybrid car. The hybrids employ the Parallel Hard Type Hybrid System, developed by the two companies for the first time in the world, which has gained global recognition as being among the world's top-rated eco-friendly technology and performance levels.
Hyundai Motor is concentrating on the development of new technologies in the electric vehicle sector. In September, the Korean automotive giant put on the domestic market its first full-speed battery-charged model, BlueOn.
The vehicle, which took 40 billion won ($34 million) and about a year to develop, is based on Hyundai's subcompact i10, which is sold exclusively in overseas markets.
It is fitted with an electric motor capable of producing up to 61 kilowatts of power, and a 16.4 kilowatt-hour lithium ion polymer battery pack. The company extended the BlueOn's driving range to 140 kilometers.
The BlueOn is also fitted with a number of components such as motor-driven power steering and electronic brake oil pressure amplifier that help to improve the battery's efficiency, as well as an on-board charger that allows the battery pack to be charged using the standard 220v household electrical outlet.
Using 220v outlets, the vehicle can be charged to 90 percent capacity in six hours, and to 80 percent capacity in 25 minutes using the 380v rapid charging system.
Hyundai Motor plans to release its pure electric vehicle crossover utility vehicle (CUV) TAM by the end of this year and produce more than 2,000 electric vehicles next year.
The group is also working on a pilot program to produce hydrogen fuel cell cars in 2012 as part of its efforts to mass-produce the new cars in 2015. nw

The Hyundai Kia Automotive Group gears up for a jump-start in the race for the development of eco-friendly and energy-efficient cars, including BlueOn (seen in this photo).
Photos on courtesy of Hyundai Motor