Whenever we think of Hyundai, vehicles like the Grand Starex, Accent, Tucson, as well as the Santa Fe come to mind. But what if I told you Hyundai could also be making electric scooters in the near future?
That's right, the Korean automaker recently introduced a prototype electric scooter for personal use. While it does not have a name yet, the company claimed it has a top speed of 20 km/h, and can travel up to a maximum range of 20 km.
Originally released in 2017 as a concept, the new prototype is Hyundai's idea of allowing customers a different means of getting around besides their vehicles.
“This is the vehicle-mounted personal scooter which could be featured in future Hyundai Motor Group vehicles. We want to make our customers’ lives as easy and enjoyable as possible. Our personal electric scooter makes first- and last-mile commuting a joy, while helping to reduce congestion and emissions in city centers,” said Dongjin Hyun, Head of Hyundai Motor Group Robotics Team.
The protoype is a lightweight, rear-wheel drive, foldable scooter that can be stowed on a vehicle. While mounted, its lithium battery pack is automatically charged while the vehicle is in motion. Weighing in at only 7.7 kg, Hyundai said that it is also portable thanks to its tri-folding design, making it stowable anywhere. It even has a digital display that can keep track of the battery status, as well as the speed of the scooter. Finally, it comes with curved LED headlights at the front for nigttime visibility.
But with only a 20 km range, Hyundai is looking at installing a regenerative braking system in order to improve its maximum range by 7%. Should it ever reach production, both Hyundai and Kia vehicles can come with the electric scooter which can be used as an alternate means of going around the city or urban areas.
Given the horrendous traffic Metro Manila experiences, this could be something Hyundai Philippines can capitalize on if it is made available here. Fingers crossed it makes its way here in the not so distant future.
