Hyundai details more efficient new Smart Stream powertrains

The Hyundai Motor Group, parent of Hyundai, Genesis and Kia, has announced its strategy for engine development at the International Powertrain Conference in South Korea this week.

At the event, Hyundai is displaying four new engines and two new transmissions, all part of the upcoming ‘Smart Stream’ powertrain family, primarily aimed at reducing emissions and improving fuel economy.

Kicking off the family will be a new 1.6-litre turbo petrol and a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel, each optimising an existing powertrain structure with smaller and lighter components to reduce weight and enhance efficiency. Hyundai says the aim was to maximise the thermal efficiency of its engines by up to 50 per cent.

Above: Hyundai i30 SR

The Smart Stream G 1.6-litre turbo engine also features the first commercial application of Continuously Variable Valve Duration (CVVD) engine technology, which adjusts the timing of the opening and closing of the cylinder valve according to the driving mode chosen – to better suit economical or performance-oriented driving. Hyundai will also be showing its new Smart Stream eight-speed wet-clutch DCT.

By 2022, the company says it aims to expand its Smart Stream range to 10 petrol engines, six diesel engines and six transmissions.

Additionally, Hyundai says the internal combustion engine (ICE) will continue to have a strong presence in the automotive industry until 2025 as the take-up of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and electric vehicles (EV) continues to grow. The company wants to offer a “greater” proportion of electric, hydrogen fuel-cell and plug-in hybrid powertrains alongside its new Smart Stream family in the coming years.

In terms of fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV), Hyundai’s next-generation FCEV model will offer a driving range of 800 kilometres thanks to the largest hydrogen storage density of any fuel-cell vehicle on the market, while also achieving a power output of around 120kW.

This new model has already been previewed with the ‘FE’ SUV (above), which will be launched globally “early next year”.

Hyundai Motor Group’s Smart Stream powertrain family will be rolled out across the Hyundai and Kia portfolios in the coming years, with the technology to eventually become available to all of the group’s models.

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