by Tony Sagami on September 15, 2010
In 2009, the world bought 61 million cars and almost all of them were powered by internal combustion, gasoline engines. That’s going to change in a big way.
J.D. Power predicts that the world will buy 2 million electric vehicles by 2020. The researchers at HSBC are shooting much higher and expect the world to buy 9 million EVs (electric vehicles).
When it comes to hybrid and electric cars, the Asians are rapidly becoming the global leaders in technology and sales.
Korean auto giant Hyundai unveiled its first all-electric car last week, the BlueOn, which combines an efficient electric motor with the newest generation of lithium-ion polymer battery technology.
The BlueOn can reach speeds as high as 81 miles per hour and can travel up to 80 miles.
The car has two charging docks: One for household 220-volt outlets and a 380-volt industrial-strength power for quick recharging. The household plug takes six hours to fully charge, while the industrial charge can deliver an 80% charge in 25 minutes.