Hyundai Tucson Diesel–Electric Plug-in Hybrid Concept Unveiled In Geneva
Hyundai’s latest electric offerings, the Tucson 48V Hybrid Concept and the Tucson plug-in hybrid electric concept, are currently being debuted at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show (which runs through the 15th of March) — and both of them look quite good.
Worth noting up front, is that the debut of the two new offerings make a pretty strong case for the argument that the company is moving away from its earlier (supposed anyways) embrace of hydrogen fuel cell technologies and towards electric vehicles (EVs)… matching the direction of essentially every car manufacturer except Toyota.
It also makes a pretty strong case that Hyundai is more of a follower than a leader these days. I mean, how many plug-in SUVs are already planned for this year and next, while Hyundai’s plug-in hybrid electric Tucson is still just a concept vehicle?
As far as specs go — the 48V Hybrid Concept features a 2.0-liter diesel engine with 134 hp (100 kW) paired with a 14 hp (10 kW) electric motor + a 48-volt lithium-ion battery pack. The combined system performance is 148 hp (110 kW) + 413 N·m (305 lb-ft) of torque.
And the Tucson PHEV Concept… Gas2 provides more:
A 1.7 liter turbodiesel making 113 horsepower is mated to a 67 horsepower electric motor for combined output of 180 horsepower and a substantial 350 lb-ft of torque. Electric driving range is estimated at 31 miles per charge of the 10.7 kWh lithium-ion battery, and CO2 emissions are estimated to a mere 48 g/km, less than half the 48V Concept. The electric motor can drive the rear axle, while the diesel engine powers the front wheels, offering a hybrid drivetrain not unlike the Kia Soul e-AWD concept that debuted earlier in the month. There’s also rumors of a dedicated EV coming as early as next year.
Sounds pretty good to me. Certainly a lot more interesting than the company’s previously revealed hydrogen fuel cell concepts. I’m actually a bit curious, though, if anything will really happen with those hydrogen cars, or if they’ll simply be quietly shunted off somewhere and buried in a ditch….
Image Credit: Hyundai
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