Hyundai goes hydrogen
Tucson Fuel Cell promises range of over 420 km
2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell
The Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell is the first hydrogen-powered electric vehicle available to Canadian customers.
The cutting-edge vehicle stores hydrogen gas in a tank and draws an inflow of air to the fuel cell stack. There is no combustion of hydrogen and the stack has no moving parts. The electrochemical process of combining oxygen and hydrogen in the fuel cell stack creates electricity to power the vehicle’s electric motor and charge an onboard battery. With the only byproduct of the process being pure water vapour, the result is zero greenhouse-gas emissions and makes it an alternative to battery-electric vehicles.
However, unlike its competition, the Tucson Fuel Cell refuels with hydrogen gas in minutes and has an estimated range of over 420 kilometres. Hyundai was the first manufacturer to mass-produce fuel cell vehicles, which has allowed the company to make them available in the Vancouver area and in more than a dozen other countries around the world.
2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid
The Hyundai Sonata Plugin Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) is expected to travel up to 35 km emissions-free on electric power, providing an opportunity for a gas-free commute for many Canadians while providing a back-up power source for longer distances.
The on-board lithium-polymer batteries can recharge in as little as two and a half hours with a Level 2 charger, or approximately five hours with a standard 120 volt electrical outlet. Once the maximum electric-only range has been reached, the Sonata PHEV goes on to perform just like a regular hybrid vehicle, allowing for trips to an estimated maximum range of 1,035 km. This is made possible with a 2.0-litre four cylinder GDI engine that provides power to the front wheels or recharges the battery, or both, depending on the situation. Unlike many competing hybrid and plugin hybrid vehicles, the Sonata PHEV uses a six-speed automatic instead of a continuously variable transmission. This approach allows the Sonata PHEV to drive similarly to a traditional, gasoline-powered vehicle while improving fuel efficiency, making the switch to an advanced plug-in vehicle more natural for many buyers. The Sonata PHEV shares its basic shape with the gasoline-powered Sonata, but adds functional design changes to improve aerodynamics. Changes to the grille, bumpers, fenders, wheels and headlights, for example, reduce drag at higher speeds, allowing the Sonata to cruise more efficiently on the highway.
2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
When the all-new Sonata Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid launch this year, they will combine with the naturally aspirated and turbocharged gasoline engines found in the regular Sonata and make Hyundai’s vehicle offering in the mid-size segment among the most diverse in the industry.
The 2016 Sonata Hybrid builds on the company’s firstgeneration hybrid, but with critical enhancements to the design, new premium features and a more efficient powertrain. Most noticeable is a new, more powerful battery and electric motor to improve fuel efficiency and extend the vehicle’s electric-only operation at highways speeds. And, by using an advanced lithiumpolymer compound for energy storage, Hyundai was able to reconfigure the batteries to fit under the trunk floor. This approach led to two developments for the Sonata Hybrid. The first is increased trunk space, which is typically at a premium in hybrid vehicles. More significant is the Sonata Hybrid now features a 60/40 splitfolding rear seat, which expands the versatility of the vehicle and makes it comparable to a gasolinepowered sedan.