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Hyundai wowed the world with the N Vision 74 concept revealed on the latest Busan motor present. The rolling lab idea debuted hydrogen know-how particularly tailor-made for a sporty automobile software.
Not content material with sticking to only one type of propulsion, Hyundai now develops a mixture of inner combustion, plug-in hybrid, battery electrical and hydrogen know-how, with the Hyundai N Imaginative and prescient 74 taking it one step additional with a specific give attention to excessive efficiency.
The design is extremely hanging and was modelled off Hyundai’s unique Pony Coupe design. The Pony Coupe was penned by Italdesign and went by means of round 4 years of refinement earlier than the undertaking was axed given a scarcity of appropriate chassis and engine for the platform.
That design was then used to kind the manufacturing model of the DMC-12 DeLorean, which is why the design’s silhouette appears so related.
Quick ahead to right now and Hyundai’s head of design, SangYul Lee used the Pony Coupe as the idea for the N Imaginative and prescient 74’s design.
It could appear like a pint-sized coupe in photos, but it surely’s a whopper in individual. It’s longer than a Mercedes-Benz E-Class and sits on a wheelbase that stretches simply wanting 3000mm.
Whereas the automobile proven on the Busan motor present was a design mockup with out an inside, Hyundai really constructed a completely practical prototype and invited an unique group of journalists to drive the automobile at a race monitor in Germany.
Sometimes we wouldn’t go wherever close to a prototype and if we did, it might be within the passenger seat. To be given entry to drive this one-of-one prototype on a race monitor is unparalleled, so we jumped on the alternative when the invitation arrived.
Table of Contents
The N Imaginative and prescient 74 idea
Many hydrogen autos available on the market right now work by utilizing a hydrogen gasoline stack to generate electrical energy that drives an electrical motor, whereas additionally charging a small battery.
The gasoline stack is then in a position to drive the motor(s) instantly and beneath excessive throttle purposes the battery will help with supplying energy. The one byproduct of this entire course of is water, which exits the automobile periodically.
How is the N Imaginative and prescient 74 completely different? It makes use of the identical idea, besides it groups with a a lot bigger 62.4kWh battery and it sends torque by means of two electrical motors mounted to the rear axle (one devoted to every rear wheel).
It’s additionally rear-wheel drive, which is a step gone from different excessive efficiency electrical autos, which generally use an all-wheel drive setup.
Along with the battery pack, the N Imaginative and prescient 74 makes use of a set of two 4.2kg hydrogen tanks that sit atop the rear axle. In reality, Hyundai tried to place as a lot weight over the rear axle as attainable to assist with traction.
The hydrogen gasoline stack sits beneath the bonnet and the battery pack is in a T form with the broader portion of the T sitting over the rear axle.
Every electrical motor produces 235kW, one decimated to every wheel. The gasoline stack produces as much as 95kW of energy and when these energy sources mix, the entire system output is over 500kW of energy and 900Nm of torque.
Hyundai hasn’t talked about how a lot the automobile weighs, but it surely claims it would do over 600km on a single cost/hydrogen fill.
Hyundai says the idea doesn’t sit on the E-GMP platform that’s widespread to the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Genesis GV60, however the N Imaginative and prescient 74 is able to 800V charging.
What’s beneath the bonnet?
The bodily packaging of the N Imaginative and prescient 74 features a hydrogen gasoline stack beneath the entrance bonnet. Beneath the rear slats you’ll discover a set of two 4.2kg hydrogen gasoline tanks.
These are joined by a set of cooling items which can be fed by air plumbed in through the rear three-quarter panels. Entrance cooling is reserved for the battery system.
Beneath the hydrogen tanks are a set of two electrical motors – one for every rear wheel. This setup offers much more granular torque vectoring management compared to a single electrical motor or a clutch-based torque vectoring system.
How does the Hyundai N Imaginative and prescient 74 drive?
Whereas the automobile was a one-of-one prototype, Hyundai didn’t maintain again when it comes to the driving expertise.
We have been in a position to do 4 laps of the Bilster Berg race monitor following a lead automobile, so we made positive to provide it a purple sizzling crack.
The automobile had a roll cage, race seats and four-point harness for the aim of those monitor laps. And whereas it appeared like an entire automobile on the skin, it was very a lot all hand-built with many incomplete elements – solely to be anticipated for one thing like this.
So we went into this anticipating this to easily be an indicator of what it was wish to drive as a prototype, extra so than an entire product.
I’ll briefly contact on the dimensions – it appears big in individual.
It has unimaginable presence and in response to Hyundai, one of many causes it has such huge scoops both facet and alongside the entrance is to reap the benefits of cooling. Hyundai sacrificed aerodynamics for added cooling.
Consistently attacking the throttle in an EV ultimately brings with it energy degradation. That’s all on account of warmth – warmth within the battery system, warmth within the motors and warmth within the cabling.
Given warmth will increase with the sq. of the present drawn, Hyundai was in a position to mitigate energy degradation and extra warmth by utilizing an 800V system – double the voltage in comparison with different EVs available on the market means much less warmth due to that regulation – and in addition calling upon the hydrogen gasoline stack extra frequently to alleviate the EV system from warmth acquire.
The large cooling ducts then permit the complete system to be cooled even additional for longer and more durable driving.
We set off with the load of driving a one-of-one prototype on a monitor I’d by no means pushed on earlier than, however I used to be nonetheless decided to have a go to see how driving a 500kW rear-wheel drive hydrogen-powered sports activities automobile would really feel like.
The steering was direct and really sharp, and whereas 500kW on the rear axle could seem just a little loopy, Hyundai employs a digital limited-slip differential to handle all that grunt. So in common driving it acts as an open differential, providing you with considerably restricted acceleration to take care of driveability.
However, when it’s switched into its monitor mode, the automobile’s pc limits slip on the rear by performing like a limited-slip differential. This makes the N Imaginative and prescient 74 really feel like a high-powered Aussie sports activities automobile with ridiculous quantities of punch out there once you hit the throttle.
It’s tremendous darty and really eager to be thrown round. The shortage of engine sound implies that you’re always shocked every time you look down on the tachometer to see some huge numbers popping up on the display.
It’s a surreal expertise. With out understanding the load, it’s onerous to get an understanding of what we’re working with in relation to mass, although it does really feel huge and heavy behind the wheel.
Maybe the sheer mass was most evident when the brakes began to fade on the finish of our final lap. Regardless of being fitted with a meaty set of Brembos, they have been feeling the ache of some quick laps by the tip of it.
CarExpert’s Tackle the Hyundai N Imaginative and prescient 74
Manufacturers like Hyundai and Toyota realise the longer term might not simply be electrical autos. Some international locations have barely sufficient electrical energy to run lights, not to mention cost power-chugging EVs.
The know-how foundation for the N Imaginative and prescient 74 really got here from Hyundai’s Xcient gasoline cell truck. By engaged on know-how like this for business and trucking purposes, the model can experiment with what this might appear like in a passenger automobile software.
Whereas hydrogen takes a big quantity of power to create after which transport, there should be a time and place the place the sort of tech is smart in passenger autos and sports activities vehicles.
Finally, the aim is to scale back and get rid of tailpipe emissions and the know-how to make that occur shall be dictated by prospects.
This was an extremely cool expertise and it’s nice to see firms considering outdoors of the field and looking out past simply battery electrical automobile tech.
Click on the pictures for the complete gallery
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