As car manufacturers race to market with electric cars and more hybrids than you can shake a stick at, they are all trying hard to differentiate their technology from the others. Ours does this better than theirs, our range is better, ours charges faster. The truth is that they all believe theirs is the best and none of us will know what is best until there are far more on the road.
The wording in Hyundai’s press release for the Blue-Will Concept is somewhat revealing as far as their future plans.
“Blue-Will foreshadows coming plug-in hybrid technology from Hyundai” and “Four-seat sedan concept explores future design direction of compact cars”
That decodes to: Our future hybrids will use this technology and our small cars will look like this.
On the technology side, while other car makers are still working with Lithium Ion batteries, Hyundai is leading the way in the development of the Lithium Polymer power pack. Beyond batteries, Hyundai is working on some really cool stuff that addresses questions that gearheads have been asking for years. The Blue-Will incorporates some of the more obvious energy ideas that techie types have come up with, but nobody else is using. Solar panels on the roof create electricity that runs an interior cooling fan to reduce the load on HVAC systems. A thermal generator is attached to the gasoline engine’s exhaust manifold and creates electricity that converts heat into electricity that helps power accessories.
As a hybrid, the Blue-Will also has a gas engine. Hyundai has created a 1.6 L 4 cylinder engine that generates 152 horsepower and yet still gets 100 miles per gallon! Add in the 40 mile range for the electric motor and you have a green car that really does have the potential to become a mainstream seller.
I just hope they lose the Blue-Will name. It takes a fair amount of effort not to call it the Blue Whale!
