Hyundai 2002 Annual Report Download - page 14

joint project with the State of Hawaii--military, public works and county
personnel are currently operating a total of 15 Santa Fe EVs in the
demonstration program. Research in these alternative fuels is strengthened by
innovations in environmentally friendly materials. These include: aluminum
frames, aluminum parts, fuel tanks with unleaded surfaces, unleaded paints,
extended-life transmission oil and engine coolants, environmentally friendly
embedded parts, plastic hoods, primer-less instrument panels, highly durable
rubber and air-purifying radiators. Hyundai Motor’s recycling program takes a
long view of the subject, beginning with the development of a car on through to
production, use and disposal. At the design phase, engineers independently
assess the recyclability of new car designs through a web-based assessment
program, the first of its kind in the world. The program evaluates the effect
design decisions have on end-of-life recycling and provides a platform to
optimize the use of recyclable materials. Prior to production, parts are marked
according to their material to allow for effective segregation at disassembly. Once
at disassembly, Hyundai Motor uses one of the world’s most sophisticated
dismantling systems to remove fluid, dismantle exterior attachments, dismantle
interior parts, and disassemble engine and exhaust parts. Parts-specific recycling
follows in one of three methods: material recycling, energy recovery and reuse.
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Our research tours provided
us with a deeper appreciation
and near future is clear: diesel engines produce 20 to 50 percent less carbon
monoxide and hydrocarbons than gasoline engines, they are 20 to 50 percent
more fuel efficient and they produce 20 to 50 percent less carbon dioxide. The
market share of diesel-powered cars in Europe already exceeds 40 percent--
about half of the passenger cars sold in France, Spain and Belgium are diesel
powered. These trends systematically lower emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulfur
oxides, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, particulate matters and
carbon dioxide to sustainable levels. Hyundai Motor adheres to three major
environmental pacts that outline reductions in carbon dioxide and greenhouse
gas emissions: the Rio Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol and
the Agreement on Kyoto Protocol Implementation. Work on clean energy
vehicles concentrates on three types: hybrid vehicles that use a combination of
internal combustion and electricity, fuel cell electric vehicles that generate
electricity from fuel cells and electric vehicles that use stored electricity. Hybrid
vehicles achieve fuel efficiency through efficient engine combination control,
power assistance from an electric motor, regenerative braking that recovers
energy during deceleration and zero fuel consumption in idle. Hyundai Motor’s
work in hybrid electric vehicles began in 1995 and includes the County hybrid
electric bus currently in operation in South Korea and the Click HEV scheduled
to hit the market in the near future. Hyundai Motor’s work in fuel cell vehicles
centers on the Santa Fe FCEV, which stores more hydrogen than any other fuel
cell vehicle in the world and placed high at the 2002 Fuel Cell Road Rally in
California. Hyundai Motor’s electric vehicles are now on the road as part of a
Hyundai Motor in 2002 became the first
automobile company to win a gold medal at
the Pacific Basin Economic Council
environmental awards.