Hyundai Motor, South Korea's No.1 carmaker, unveiled its
first pure electric car on Thursday, with a goal of commencing
mass production of the vehicles in 2012.
The "BlueOn," based on its i10 hatchback, will be powered
by batteries madeby SK Energy with a capacity of 16.4
kilowatts per hour, Hyundai said in a statement, without
disclosing prices for the vehicle.
The BlueOn can run 140 kilometres on a single charge
and features a maximum speed of 130 kilometres per
hour, it said.
Hyundai will produce and supply a small number of
electric vehicles to government agencies this year and
next before commencing sales to thegeneral public in
2012, by which it plans to manufacture 2,500 units, Hyundai said.
Hyundai said it was early too say in which markets the BlueOn
would be launched first.
"We are taking a baby step. There is no infrastructure such as
charging stations in Korea and many other countries,"
a spokesperson said.
There are a number of electric vehicles in the works
by other automakers, but their high cost and the limited
range are cited as the biggest hurdles for
their widespread adoption.
Japan's Mitsubishi Motors Corp was the first major car
maker to roll out pure electric cars. Its i-MiEV electric car
was introduced in Japan in August.
Nissan Motor Co plans to introduce a mass-market
electric car in the United States in December.
Ford will have an all-electric version of its
Focus available in late 2011.
The government said on Thursday that South Korea
plans replace 20 percent of the country's passenger
cars with electric vehicles by 2020 with a goal
to lead the emerging market.
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