It seems like every car company is showing a hybrid at the New York Auto Show, but most of them are just a hybrid version of some plain-vanilla existing model. Stuffing an engine, electric motor, and all of the batteries needed to make hybrid takes up a lot of space, so it's hard to use the technology in a car that's sleek and sexy.
Hyundai thinks they have found a solution by using a new type of battery called lithium polymer in place of those bulky lithium-ion batteries most hybrids use. In addition to being both smaller and lighter, the lithium-polymer batteries are like the Mister Fantastic of the battery world, in that they can be made in a variety of custom shapes which fit neatly into tight spots in the car.
The super-sleek Hyundai Nuvis concept car unveiled yesterday in New York shows what you can do when you don't need a place to stash big hunking blocks of batteries. Unlike last year's weird looking BLUE-WILL, the Nuvis looks incredibly cool, although I doubt if those giant electric gullwing doors will ever make it into production.
For now the Nuvis is just a concept, but let's hope they take a bold step and actually build something like this soon. See a couple of extra pics of the Nuvis after the jump.
Via Hyundai USA
