Automotive Engineering - February 2025 - 29

TECHNOLOGY FEATURE
Two 10.25-in (260-mm) infotainment and driver displays deliver safety and
entertainment information in the Inster.
Drivers of other Hyundai EVs will recognize the four-dot design
touches on the Inster's steering wheel.
and while we'll miss them in the U.S., they'll be fun EVs
to spot when traveling in Korea, Europe, the Middle
East and other Asia-Pacific markets.
Hyundai's hydrogen hopes
This fall, Hyundai Motor Group debuted a new slogan
for its HTWO brand, signaling interest in businesses
and technologies along the entire hydrogen value
chain: " Be a First Mover in Hydrogen. " To develop
parts of a hydrogen-powered future economy, HMG is
working on fuel stacks, tanks and vehicles, and H2 production.
During Hyundai Way week, the company said
it is completing a feasibility study this year on producing
24,000 tons of hydrogen from 130,000 tons of
plastic waste, for example.
Chang Hwan Kim, senior vice president of electrification
energy solutions tech unit, said the Initium perComponents
used in the 2004 Polaris I FCEV.
EV, but at least the steering was direct, and the front-wheel drive EV
never felt off-balance. It was also wonderfully quiet, and the 5-level
i-Pedal adjustable regenerative braking found in Hyundai's more expensive
EVs worked flawlessly.
In many ways, the Inster felt like a miniaturized Hyundai EV, with a
four-dot steering wheel similar to the ones found in the Ioniq 5 and
6. The two 10.25-in (260 mm) infotainment and driver displays offered
detailed navigation routes and provided information on the
various safety and convenience features that include forward collision-avoidance
assist, blind-spot collision avoidance assist, driver
attention warning and smart cruise control with Stop & Go. These are
all Korea-spec details, as the Inster will not be sold in North America.
After a day spent behind the wheel, this makes sense. It's a solid EV
but would certainly struggle against larger and quicker EV options.
One of the most significant numbers in the Hyundai Way plan is the
company's goal to sell 2 million EVs a year globally by 2030. To do
that, smaller, more affordable options like the Inster need to exist,
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
fectly represents the automaker's H2 priorities.
" The concept call we will reveal today is another
fruit of Hyundai's unwavering commitment towards
hydrogen energy and our determination to realize a
hydrogen society, " he said through an interpreter during
the reveal event. " In other words, it is our pledge
to lead the democratization of fuel cell EVs. "
That democratization is visible in Hyundai's ongoing
hydrogen real-world applications, such as the
NorCAL Zero Project and the Port Decarbonization
Initiative, and in fuel cell trucks operating in various
countries worldwide.
Hyundai's H2 and battery-electric efforts sometimes
overlap. For example, without revealing its supplier,
Hyundai said in Korea that it had modified the power
semiconductors from the two-stage inverters used in
the Ioniq 5 N to give the EV a 5% range increase.
These semiconductors are now being considered for
future Hyundai FCEVs as well. In other words, there's
more to go along the Hyundai Way.
February 2025 29
ALL IMAGES: SEBASTIAN BLANCO
Automotive Engineering - February 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive Engineering - February 2025
