Hyundai's electric double-decker bus has 186 miles of range
There's a whole lot o' batteries tucked under that skin.
Hyundai builds more than just cars, and its efforts beyond passenger vehicles isn't immune to its electrification efforts, either.
Hyundai on Wednesday unveiled its first electric double-decker bus. It's the result of an 18-month project with the help of the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Like many other electrified vehicles on the road, this bus is part of a greater effort to reduce traffic and improve air quality.
It functions like any other bus -- the doors open up, people get on, people eventually get off, all that jazz. It's a little less capacious than you might think, though, with enough space for just 11 seats on the first floor, but 59 seats on the second floor. Yet, thanks to its two-tier layout, it'll still hold about 1.5 times as many people as a standard bus.
Extra care was taken to ensure the bus is a choice for those with disabilities. The bus has two fixed-in-space wheelchairs onboard, in addition to a low floor design and an automatic sliding ramp, making ingress and egress easier for those who may otherwise have trouble. Hyundai's double-decker has safety in mind for all passengers, by way of standard stability control, automatic emergency braking and lane-keep assist.
Under all those seats is a positively big 384-kWh battery. That enables a total estimated range of 186 miles, although it's not clear if that's Hyundai's own estimate or based on one of several different EV-range standards. Yet, it's capable of receiving enough juice during a charge to bring the battery from E to F in just 72 minutes.
I hope you weren't expecting something that didn't look like any other bus on the road.
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