Hyundai 'BLUE WILL' Concept Revealed Ahead of Seoul Debut

Hyundai is releasing details on an all-new concept car being prepped for the Seoul Motor Show. The Hyundai Blue-Will is a plug-in petrol/electric hybrid making use of recycled materials on other cleaner technologies.

Hyundai is giving this vehicle a 1.6-liter petrol engine working in tandem with a robust 100 kW electric motor running on juice provided by Lithium Ion Polymer batteries from LG. LG is also supplying batteries for the Elantra LPI Hybrid and the Kia Forte LPI hybrid.

On this concept car the battery pack is coupled with the fuel tank, and mounted under the rear seat. Hopefully, LG Chem will not have any more battery explosion incidents, because having even the slightest blast near the petrol would be dangerous.

Features on the concept include a panoramic roof with dye-sensitized solar cells built into the glass. This helps send power to the batteries, while maintaining a translucent appearance. It is unclear if regenerative brakes were also used. The parallel hybrid drivetrain gets the wheels going through a continuously variable transmission. Meanwhile, recycled plastic soft drink bottles were turned into materials used for the headlight bezels. Bio-plastics, a biodegradable product made from plant extracts, were used for the engine cover and parts of the interior.

More details will be released when the car is first shown to the public. The curtain opens for the Hyundai Blue-Will in Seoul on 2 April.

Press Release

BLUE-WILL - Hyundai charges in with advanced hybrid concept

• All-new concept car to be unveiled at Seoul Show
• Lithium-Ion batteries and a 1.6-litre direct-injection petrol engine
• Solar panels boost battery range

Hyundai has revealed the first pictures of an innovative plug-in hybrid concept car. Due to be revealed at the Seoul Motor Show which opens on April 2nd, the "BLUE-WILL", has exceptionally advanced technology crammed inside its striking bodyshell.

Recycled PET soft drink bottles were used to make the material for the headlamp bezels while use has also been made of bio-plastics: PLA for the interior while PA11 was specified for the engine cover. These materials are made from plants extract rather than fossil fuels and are bio-degradable.

The BLUE-WILL concept is powered by an all-aluminium Gasoline Direct Injected 1.6-litre engine which is coupled to a Continuously Variable Transmission and a 100kw electric motor which is at the heart of Hyundai's parallel hybrid drive architecture.

Electric power, stored by a Lithium Ion Polymer battery pack, is neatly bundled with the fuel tank under the rear seat to maximise luggage space.

Hyundai will be the first automaker in the world to apply Lithium Ion Polymer in a mass production vehicle when the Elantra LPI Hybrid goes on sale in Korea in July this year.

A further expression of the concept's design flexibility is found on the panoramic roof. The glass area integrates dye-sensitized solar cells which can generate power for the batteries from the sun without impeding visibility.

Further details of the concept will be revealed at a press conference on Hyundai's stand at the Seoul show.