KLIMS 2018: Hyundai Showcases Next Generation Powertrains

At the ongoing KLIMS 2018, the Hyundai stand has the largest range of future vehicles on display, with the all-new Hyundai Santa-Fe 7-seater SUV taking the centre stage.

As part of the show’s theme of ‘Beyond Mobility’, local distributor Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) is showcasing an entirely new powertrain here at KLIMS 2018- the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.

Hyundai has been actively improving and enhancing the hydrogen fuel cell technology. With the availability of their ix35/Tucson fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) since 2013, Hyundai is the world’s first automaker to mass-produce fuel cell vehicles.

The all-new Hyundai Nexo, with sales that just began in March this year in its home market of South Korea, is the company’s first dedicated hydrogen-powered SUV. The Nexo features the company’s latest generation fuel cell technology that is more durable, lighter, and higher performance.

Thanks to a 163 PS / 395 Nm electric motor, the Nexo accelerates from rest to 100 km/h in just 9.2 seconds. The driving range is very remarkable at over 600 kilometres under the new WLTP test cycle.

Underneath the futuristic exterior design, the dedicated platform integrated three identical tanks with a volume of 52.2 litres per tank. Hyundai says refuelling time is just 5 minutes.     

While FCEV is still very much at its infancy stage (Hyundai only targets to sell 600 units of Nexo in its home country annually), the compact Kona Electric is much closer in meeting our local infrastructure and market maturity.

The little Kona Electric (about the same size as a Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008) has a powerful 204 PS / 395 Nm electric motor. When equipped with the larger 64 kWh battery, the Kona Electric is able to complete the century dash in just 7.6 seconds!

Driving range is equally impressive at 482 kilometres. The driver can also choose the degree of regenerative braking through the steering wheel paddle switches. It takes approximately 9.5 hours to fully charge the Kona Electric using a 7.2 kW charger. A high capacity 100 kW DC charger meanwhile can provide 80% state-of-charge in under 60 minutes.