2019 Hyundai Elantra Se on 2040-cars

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Hyundai Group and LG Chem launch EV & Battery Challenge

The chairmen of Hyundai Motor Group and LG Chem sat down recently to explore ideas for collaboration that include a joint venture in Indonesia to produce electric vehicle batteries. One early result of their efforts is the EV & Battery Challenge, a global competition seeking startups with working technologies that will add value to battery development and production, and enhance customer's total EV ownership experience. Broken into two categories of innovation, the contest is looking for battery tech in the areas of management and maintenance, materials, reuse and recycling, and manufacturing and quality control. For electric vehicles, startups with innovations in the EV business model, charging, components, fleet management, and customer service are encouraged to apply. LG held a similar event last year open to new inventions specifically for batteries. Nearly 130 applicants applied from 27 countries. After a Battery Challenge Pitch Day at the LG Magok Science Park in South Korea, the company chose five finalists who received up to $2 million in funding through formal partnership with the conglomerate. LG said it didn't walk away from the 124 candidates not chosen, "continuing to work closely [with them] and offer support in terms of technological evaluation and future investment."    The EV & Battery Challenge dangles the same prizes — financial support and the chance to work in Hyundai and LG facilities with their tools, engineers, and knowledge.  Applicants need to have a non-commercialized working prototype clearly different from what's currently on the market, "strong expertise in the battery and mobility sector," and "a business model based on credible commercial and economic assumptions." The challenge is open from now until August 28. Hyundai and LG will review applications in September, then hold video interviews with a winnowed group in October and November. In November, finalists will be invited to a two-day workshop at Hyundai's CRADLE hub in Silicon Valley, where the automaker bases its innovation initiatives in the U.S.  New Energy Nexus, "an international non-profit that supports clean energy entrepreneurs with funds, accelerators, and networks," is overseeing the EV & Battery Challenge. The potential reward for LG is finding a mythical piece of battery tech to counter the million-mile packs supposedly on the verge of release from China's CATL or U.S.

Hyundai spotted testing Prius-style hybrid

The Toyota Prius has become an automotive icon – maybe less so among actual automotive enthusiasts than with the public at large – to the extent that most anyone on the street would recognize its five-door hatchback form and immediately identify it as a hybrid. Little wonder that Honda tried to emulate it with the second-gen Insight, but while that didn't work out so well for Honda, it looks like Hyundai is preparing to go down the same road with a dedicated hybrid of its own. Our paparazzi on the ground in the Arctic Circle have spotted this protoytpe and tell us what we're looking at is a new Prius-fighter from the Korean automaker. Snapped up high on a transporter truck, you can see the orange high-voltage cables underneath and a label with the letters AE HEV – the latter standing, of course, for Hybrid Electric Vehicle. We wouldn't be surprised if the AE stood for Advanced Experimental or Alternative Energy or something of the sort. Tipped to be based on the same platform as the next-generation Elantra, the new Hyundai hybrid is said to pack a 1.6-liter inline-four working in parallel with an electric motor juiced by a lithium-ion battery pack. It's expected to begin production in the second half of 2016, with a plug-in and possibly other variants to follow a year to a year and a half after its initial launch.

2018 Hyundai Kona SEL 2.0-liter Quick Spin Review | Slow down and save money

The 2018 Hyundai Kona has certainly impressed us, at least in its turbocharged, all-wheel-drive form. It makes healthy power — 175 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque — to hustle around town and up on-ramps. It also has a playful chassis and suspension that provide responsive handling with minimal body roll. But Hyundai also offers the Kona with a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder making just 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. And no matter what engine you choose, if you pick a front-wheel-drive Kona it'll be saddled with a primitive torsion-beam rear axle instead of the AWD's independent multi-link setup. All of this sounds like a recipe for disaster, but as it turns out, the 2.0-liter Kona is mostly as good as its force-fed iteration, just slower and cheaper. Just like the turbo Kona, the naturally aspirated models feature the same distinct styling. It's not for everyone (though this editor quite likes it), but you'll never mistake it for anything else. No other compact crossover fits so many creases, angles, gills and materials onto one vehicle. The naturally aspirated models, SE and SEL, do have smaller alloy wheels than the turbo versions, but the alloy wheels are a standard feature regardless. Inside, the interior is nearly identical as well, using the same plastics and most of the same colors. You will have to make do with cloth seats, but that's OK in our book because the houndstooth upholstery is way cooler than the plain black leather seats of the Limited and Ultimate turbo models. Ride and handling are also nearly identical to the turbo all-wheel-drive Kona. The ride is on the stiff end of compliant, the steering is quick, and turn-in is eager, even though feel is lacking. There isn't much body roll, and you can carry a decent amount of speed in corners. Admittedly, the Turbo feels more planted and confident in corners thanks to its rear multi-link suspension, but the non-turbo doesn't feel unsettled on a bumpy, curvy road. There's just no getting around the fact that it's noticeably slower than the turbo Kona. Whereas the turbo engine will whisk you away fairly effortlessly on a wave of low-down torque, the naturally aspirated engine will be buzzing away at high RPM to get you moving. While we're thankful that the engine itself has a reasonably deep note and is fairly smooth, when you ask for some oomph it gets pretty loud. Passing vehicles and running up on-ramps can be a bit grating.