Turbo on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Hyundai will open up some hydrogen fuel cell patents in Korea

Last year, Tesla made its electric vehicle patents open source. Last month, Toyota did the same with some of its hydrogen fuel cell patents. Now, Hyundai is going to let some Korean companies get access to the automaker's patents as parts of a innovation center project in Gwangju, South Korea. Just Auto reports that about 1,000 "unused patents" belonging to Kia and Hyundai will be made available to participants in a new automotive start-up hub. There will be 12 of these hubs in Korea, not all focused on hydrogen fuel cells. Hyundai said that it will help raise $164 million to help turn Gwangju in a center for eco-friendly industry. Phil Floraday, Hyundai Motor America manager of Midwest Product Public Relations, told AutoblogGreen that, "The main purpose of the patents mentioned in the story will be to nurture small- and medium-sized businesses in the Gwangju area. While we cannot clarify all the patents at this time, we can tell you that they are not entirely focused on FCEV or eco-friendly patents only." Featured Gallery 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell View 29 Photos News Source: Just Auto Government/Legal Green Hyundai Hydrogen Cars patent

Hyundai leased 70 Tucson fuel-cell vehicles in first year

Since going on sale in the early summer of 2014, Hyundai has leased around 70 of its hydrogen fuel-cell-powered Tucson CUVs. That's the number that Mike O'Brien, Hyundai's vice president of corporate and product planning, revealed at a green vehicle event in Huntington Beach, CA, this week. There's a reason for the low number, O'Brien said. "Of course, everybody asks 'Why 70?' and it's basically tied to the number of fuel stations that are available," he said. "We were the first to actually pass over ownership of the vehicle, it's not a test program. It helps people put their money on the table, and they lease the car from us and it's their car. The customers that we've leased the vehicle to are ones that live close to a fuel station. "Right now there is less than 10 in the state of California. By the end of this calendar year, there should be in the mid-20s. And then, of course, under Gov. Jerry Brown's $200 million towards construction, I believe about 100 stations [will come online] through the end of the next couple of years. As those stations get built out, we're taking more and more applications for vehicle sales." In January 2014, O'Brien told AutoblogGreen that 88,000 people had expressed an interest in owning a fuel-cell Tucson. O'Brien said that Hyundai needs the customers to be close to a hydrogen station so that driving the car feels similar to what they're used to doing. "We just want to make sure there is a satisfying experience of ownership, and that's the most important thing, to make that their ownership experience matches what they've experienced with a gasoline car," he said. The Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell can be leased for $499 a month, which includes free refueling. For the 2016 model year, the Tucson FCV gets HomeLink connectivity in the rear-view mirror and two new exterior colors, Hydro Blue and Chromium Silver, in addition to the already available Winter White. 2016 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell Continues To Attract Zero-Emissions-Focused Customers With New Colors And Features World's First Mass-Produced Fuel Cell Vehicle Available For $499 per month Lease Includes Unlimited Free Hydrogen Refueling and At Your Service Valet Maintenance FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., May 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai's zero-emissions, hydrogen-powered Tucson Fuel Cell vehicle continues to satisfy and attract new customers focused on high-versatility and clean transportation.

Porsche tops J.D. Power quality index as Korean brands soar

While complaints about infotainment systems remain a thorn in the side of automakers for J.D. Power's annual Initial Quality Study, there's a lot to celebrate this year. The average number of problems reported per 100 vehicles fell to 112 in 2015 – a three-percent improvement compared to 116 in 2014. The results of this year's survey are based on the responses of over 84,000 people about problems within the first 90 days of buying or leasing a 2015 model-year vehicle. For the third consecutive year, Porsche tops the rankings with an average of 80 problems per 100 vehicles. Although, that's slightly more than the 74 the German sportscar maker scored in 2014. "While the Japanese automakers continue to make improvements, we're seeing other brands, most notably Korean makes, really accelerating the rate of improvement," Renee Stephens, vice president of US automotive quality at J.D. Power, said in the study's release. In fact, Kia ranks as one of the biggest movers in this year's list. The Korean brand jumped to second place from seventh last year. The company had an average of 86 problems per 100 vehicles, a 20-point improvement. Third place went to Jaguar with an average of 93 problems reported, versus last year's second-place finish with 87 of them. Fourth place was Hyundai, and fifth-place Infiniti also earned a gold star for improvement with 97 issues per 100 vehicles – 31-points better than last year. Fiat still anchored the bottom of the list. However, its 161 problems this year is a lot better than the 206 in 2014. Ranked by nationality, Korean brands (Hyundai and Kia) are now leading the industry in initial quality with an average of 90 problems reported per 100 vehicles. According to J.D. Power, this is the first time Europe's figure beat Japan with 113 and 114 issues, respectively. The American brands also averaged 114. Whereas General Motors dominated last year, the segment awards are spread out in 2015. GM, Hyundai, Nissan, and Volkswagen Group are all tied with four models each earning prizes. For more information, you can also see all of the graphs, here. J.D.