Hybrids are becoming more and more popular among consumers. They are much more fuel-efficient, low on greenhouse gas emissions and increasingly trendy. Most automakers are offering or developing such vehicles. The latest is none other than Hyundai. The Korean manufacturer is introducing its first-ever production hybrid: the Elantra LPI Hybrid Electric Vehicle. The system pairs a 1.6L combustion engine with an electric motor. The former runs on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), a mixture of propane and butane manufactured during the refining of crude oil. To date, it's the world's first LPG-powered hybrid vehicle.
In order to store energy that will feed the electric motor, Hyundai incorporated lithium-metal-polymer (LMP) batteries, another first for a hybrid vehicle. These batteries are more resistant to physical damage, they last longer and they also cost less to manufacture. Because LMPs are flexible, it's easier to fit them inside the car. According to Hyundai, the operating costs of the
Elantra LPI HEV will be lower than those of any current hybrid. In fact, it will be 50-percent cheaper to run than the regular Elantra. As a result, the hybrid premium would be recouped in barely two years. The Hyundai Elantra LPI HEV will go on sale in Korea under the name of Avante. It could eventually find its way into foreign markets where LPG distribution networks are fully established. By 2010, Hyundai's hybrid lineup will likely be expanded and include a
midsize sedan .
photo: Hyundai