Hyundai Starts Selling the Elantra LPI Hybrid

The South Korean car manufacturer responded to the market's growing demand for fuel efficient vehicles by releasing its first production hybrid car. The Elantra LPI is a hybrid model that uses 1.6 DOHC in-line 4 cylinder engine which works on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

The method is not exactly ground braking but manages to return 5.6 l/100km (42 mpg US) while emitting only 99 grams of CO2 per kilometer. While the company proudly proclaimed this meets California's Super Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle standard, Hyundai admitted it has no near future plans of marketing the car outside its domestic market.

A noticeable fact with the launch of the Elantra LPI is that it contains a Lithium Ion Polymer battery instead of the standard Lithium Ion ones, featured until now on all available hybrids. The Lithium Ion Polymer battery has a higher energy capacity and supports more recharging cycles then the Lithium Ion battery.

One of the downsides of this vehicle, however, is the need for infrastructure, as it requires LPG refilling stations.

After spending around 197.7 million US dollars for developing this car in a time frame of 3 years, Hyundai aims to sell 7,500 units in the first year and double that figure for 2010.

Hyundai also announced it has plans to introduce its first gasoline-electric hybrid in the second half of 2010 with the Sonata model.