A new Hyundai electric car is to have a range of 500 km (311 miles) on one charge. The South Korean car manufacturer already produces the Ioniq, although this vehicle has a range of only 280 km. Tesla’s Model has a range of over 350 km (217 miles) – 150 km less than Hyundai’s. This is just one aspect of the eco car development being carried out by auto manufacturers worldwide.
The market for all-electric cars is growing rapidly. Hyundai plans to build a plant to manufacture only electric and other eco-friendly vehicles. Hyundai, along with its affiliate company Kia, plans to produce 31 vehicle models using various eco-friendly power sources by 2020. Among these, the company is planning to produce three hybrids (regular gas + plug-electric), eight battery-powered vehicles and two car models powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
The market for electric and other eco-friendly cars is rapidly increasing, and there are many players in the field. Those who fail to respond now will be far behind the rest in development and production come the next decade. The major electric vehicle manufacturers started their development years ago. The Hyundai electric car is just another brick in the eco-friendly car wall.
Although Hyundai expects to have 500 km car on the road by 2021, Tesla should be much farther in its development by then. Few would doubt Tesla’s ability to exceed 500 km over the next four years. It’s not just Tesla, but there are many others who are already well advanced in their development.
Most electric cars are sold in China: the Chinese are buying twice the number of electric vehicles that are being sold in the US. Chinese car manufacturers are also building large numbers of electric vehicles for their own market. However, the Chinese government is a large part of the electric car industry, and their subsidies will not last forever. Over the longer term, Chinese manufacturers may not have the funds to compete with the US and other parts of Asia.
Hyundai is going in the right direction. For now, there is no need for original development – just a need to utilize existing technology in an efficient and effective manner. To be truthful, that is all any other car manufacturer has to do. Use existing electric and fuel cell technology, but to do so in a more economical way with marketing to attract more customers than the other guy.
The oil industry will be looking at these developments closely. It is sure to suffer as fewer vehicles are run on fossil fuels such as petrol/gas and renewable sources are used: electricity, hydrogen fuel cells and perhaps way into the future, nuclear power. It’s marketing that will matter most over the next few years.
The technology behind eco-friendly cars is now well known. Battery power, hydrogen fuel cells and what next? Solar panels on the roof with a backup battery for cloudy days? Perhaps even a Flux Capacitor? But why go back to the future when we have so many alternative energy sources on our doorstep?
Don’t laugh: people laughed years go at the concept of electricity being used to power cars. Now we have battery-operated remote control cars on the roads – not only in a child’s playroom! Today’s toy – tomorrow’s reality. The Hyundai electric car is just one more to add to the mix.
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