Chrises Cars

For the first time in America, Hyundai’s Blue Will concept car made an appearance.

This is Korean company’s first hybrid concept and it has some impressive features, the headlamp surrounds are made from recycled PET bottles, a full under tray for sleek aerodynamics, a glass roof with built in solar cells, drive-by-wire steering column and a thermal generator to turn waste heat from the combustion engine into electricity.

The Blue Will’s wheels are driven by twin powertrains which can operate independently or together depending on conditions. The petrol engine is a 1.6 which kicks out 152 hp and is made from aluminium. The electric motor makes 100kW (about 134 hp) and powers the wheels directly.

On a full charge, Hyundai claims the Blue Will can achieve between 20-40 miles on electric drive alone. Fuel consumption is around 50-55mpg if you run it as a pure hybrid, and closer to 106mpg if the cycle is undertaken with the car in plug-in hybrid mode, using primarily electric until the hybrid powertrain is needed.

On top of regenerative braking and the photovoltaic roof panel, the Blue Will has a thermal generator built into the exhaust manifold, so some of the exhaust heat can be captured as energy for the battery.

The steering is completely electronic, a computer reads the wheels movements and then sends the information to motors that control the front wheels. This sounds great if there is ever an electric problem the driver would have no control over the cars direction.