Hyundai builds first fuel cell production car
Hyundai have managed to build the globe’s first mass produced fuel cell production car in Korea. The hydrogen-powered Hyundai ix35 rolled off the assembly line at the Ulsan manufacturing plant, the white zero-emissions vehicle being the first mass produced fuel cell vehicle.
The goal of the Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell is meant to be used as a fleet car across Europe, featuring the capability of 100kW fuel cell stack convert hydrogen into electricity, which then engages the car’s electric motor, the only byproduct generated being water. The Korean carmaker also says that the vehicle can be topped up with some conventional fuel in only a few minutes, and it can reach 100km/h in 12.5 seconds, has a top speed of 160km/h and a range of 594km on a single tank.
An initial fleet of 17 Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell vehicles will be going to fleet customers, 15 of them being employed by the City of Copenhagen in Denmark – which is part of that city’s initiative to be carbon-free by 2025, and Skane in Sweden will receive the other two.
The Ulsan city mayor said that the mass produced assembly of the fuel cell vehicles marks not only a milestone in the country’s history, but also in world car manufacturing history. It should also be a sign to the auto industry at large that hydrogen fuel cell technology in daily driving isn’t some futuristic thing to aspire towards, it is something within our current technological grasp.
Ulsan also plans to build more hydrogen refueling stations in order to support the eco-friendly fuel cell vehicles that will be produced locally.
The initial plan is to build one thousand ix35 Fuel Cell SUVs to be leased to public and private fleets – especially in Europe, and by 2015 the model will be the flagship vehicle in the Blue Drive sub-brand that will also feature the Sonata Hybrid, i20 Blue Drive and i10-based BlueOn.
