Hyundai has just unveiled its second attempt at creating an electric bus for the streets of South Korea, premiering the Elec City at the Hyundai Truck & Bus Mega Fair.
The automaker first revealed an all-electric bus in 2010 but the vehicle was never given the go-ahead for production due to the high costs of batteries at the time. Seven years later and with batteries cheaper than ever, Hyundai has had another crack at it and says production and sales of the bus should commence in 2018.
Sitting beneath the conventional-looking exterior of the Elec City is a 256 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery which Hyundai says provides a range of up to 180 miles (290 km), almost 60 miles more than the electric Ioniq. Power is sent to the road through a 240 kW electric motor and a fast charging feature allows the bus to fully charge in a touch over one hour.
In a statement, the automaker said “Elec City provides a glimpse into the future of the public transportation. The bus demonstrates the suitability of Hyundai Motor’s pioneering fully-electric powertrain for commercial application.
“On the road, Elec City boasts best-in-class driving range. With a 256kwh lithium-ion polymer battery, the bus can drive 290km (180 miles) on a single charge. Furthermore, it features a variety of safety- and human-centered facilities, such as Around View Monitoring and a Full Color Digital Cluster.”