Hyundai i10 electric car makes its official debut at the 2010 Auto Expo!

First shown at Frankfurt auto show in 2009, the prototype of Hyundai i10 electric car has now been relocated to New Delhi, India, where it was displayed to the visitors of Hyundai booth at the on-going Auto Expo 2010.

According to Hyundai, the i10 electric car is a near-production prototype, which is heading to production as early as this year! Its production, however, will be limited to several thousand vehicles only and will be marketed exclusively at its home - Korean market.

The i10 electric car is Hyundai’s first ever mass production zero emission vehicle that uses highly advanced electric powertrain technology. It is powered by a highly efficient 49 kW electric motor paired with 16 kW Lithium-Ion-Polymer battery.

The powertrain system achieves maximum torque of 201 Nm at 2.670 rpm, enough for a top speed of 160 km/h. Thanks to its low kerb weight (Hyundai i10 electric car weighs only 1.000 kgs) and up-to-date LiPoly battery technology, the i10 electric car reaches 100 kilometers per hour in less than 15 seconds and has a driving range of up to 160 kilometers on a single charge.

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The i10 electric car offers dual recharging cycles:

- an industrial 413V charger, which recharges the Lithium Ion Polymer battery to 85 percent capacity in less than 20 minutes, or

- a normal 200V household outlet, with a full charge estimated to take place in about five hours for a 100 percent capacity.

The highly efficient LiPoly (Lithium-Ion-Polymer) battery pack applied to i10 electric car is not only 12 percent more efficient than a more common Lithium Ion battery pack, but is also 20 percent smaller and weighs 30 percent less than standard batteries.

In addition to that, the LiPoly technology provides numerous additional advantages over standard NiMH batteries. Compared with nickel-metal hydride batteries (NiMH), the Lithium-Ion-Polymer batteries are more durable and offer more than twice the energy density of NiMH batteries.

They also hold their charge 20 times longer, are more resistant to changes in temperatures and can also handle more charge-discharge cycles before storage capacity begins to degrade. In case of accident, LiPoly batteries are also more resistant to physical damage. Battery cells for the all-new Hyundai i10 electric car will be supplied by LG Chem company.

Although the petrol-powered version of the i10 has been produced in India, Hyundai announced it is going to produce the i10 electric car at one of its factories in Korea. According to Arvid Saxena, a director of Hyundai Motor India, Hyundai’s Indian unit will provide all the parts needed to assemble the car to Korea.

As mentioned above Hyundai announced it will begin low volume fleet leasing of the i10 electric car in Korea starting sometime by the end of 2010 and will commence full production in 2012!

Alongside Hyundai i10 electric car, the Korean carmaker also put other cars on display at the 2010 Auto Expo. Other displayed models were Santro hatchback, Hyundai i10 and i20, Accent, Verna, Sonata sedan, Genesis Coupe and H1 van.