Hyundai to join rivals in offering an all-electric carMarch 11, 2014 - 19:07 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Hyundai will join rivals in offering an all-electric car, the first from the company, come 2016, having previously focused the brand's eco-friendly attentions on fuel-cell models. Kia, an affiliate of Hyundai, has pushed the group's electric car message in what Senior VP Lee Ki-sang describes as a "dividing" of roles so far. That division, however, is due to change, even though EV sales in Korea are miniscule, SlashGear reports. "There is no clear direction about which eco-friendly cars will win," said Lee Ki-sang, who heads up the joint division responsible for zero-emission models at Hyundai and Kia. "We are dividing the roles of Hyundai and Kia, with Hyundai launching fuel cell cars and Kia focusing on electric cars." As of 2016, though, Hyundai will launch its first battery powered EV, though it probably won't look like the bizarre E4U "egg" concept for personal-mobility it showed off last year, pictured above. Meanwhile, "the time will come when Kia will introduce a fuel-cell car" the senior exec continued. While Kia has offered an EV - the Ray EV - in Korea since 2012, sales of the green model have been conservative, and exports non-existent. Sales of all-EV cars like the Ray EV, Renault's SM3 EV, and Chevrolet's Spark in the country reached just 713 vehicles in 2013, though end-user sales have not been the primary focus, SlashGear says. Instead, the Ray EV has targeted government use and car-sharing schemes. That will change as of the Kia Soul EV, which will be offered in the U.S. and Europe from this fall. Kia hopes the all-electric version will sell around 5,000 units worldwide in 2014. Range is expected to be around 92 miles per roughly half-hour of fast charging (or four hours of regular charging). Related links: Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. Armenians stage more campaigns against territorial concessions to Azerbaijan Protesters blocked more roads across Armenia on Friday, April 26 in continuing attempts to scuttle territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. |