Hyundai’s Elantra Liquified Petroleum Injected (LPI) hybrid will be a one-of-a-kind vehicle on the market when it is released in South Korea on July 8. The latest version of Hyundai’s signature sedan will be a pioneer in LPI technology as competitors like Toyota and Honda worry about hydrogen and plug-in electric systems. As the July 8 rollout looms near in Seoul, Hyundai has decided to accept pre-launch orders for the Elantra LPI through July 7.
The 1.6-liter LPI engine in the Elantra will be matched with a 15kW Permanent Magnetic Synchronous motor to keep fuel consumption low. Hyundai’s continuously variable transmission (CVT) will increase the Elantra’s fuel mileage by reducing the clunky gear shifts of a traditional auto transmission. Hyundai chose the 180-volt lithium-ion polymer battery for its high power density, energy efficiency and long life. The Elantra LPI will be able to reduce greenhouse emissions by up to 90% with its cleaner fuel and innovative drive components. The Hyundai Elantra LPI has been bestowed with a Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV) rating, which will pave the way for its release worldwide in the near future.
Hyundai is releasing the Elantra LPI in South Korea due to the availability of cheap LP throughout the country. The Elantra LPI uses a fuel mileage equivalent of 42 miles per gallon in liquified petroleum. This fuel mileage equivalent is 47% higher than the EPA rating for the gas-powered Elantra currently on the market. The focus of news analyses on the Hyundai Elantra LPI’s upcoming release has been the cheap LP supply in South Korea, which is priced about 50% below gasoline at the moment.
The Hyundai Elantra LPI benefits from the widespread availability of liquified petroleum gas in North America and Europe. Liquified petroleum gas is used for grills, cabin heating and other applications that require substantial supplies from petroleum and natural gas providers. Some critics have lampooned the Elantra LPI as a “mild” hybrid due to its use of LPG and its modest mileage increase over the regular Elantra. We should be viewing the implementation of green vehicle technology as a multi-stage process instead of a one-size-fits-all approach. The availabilty of cheap LPG in Korea coupled with the company’s desire to use alternative fuels created a unique vehicle for today’s marketplace. We may look upon the Hyundai Elantra LPI as a relic in a century but we should not be quick to dismiss its long-term virtues by focusing entirely on its first-generation flaws.
