Hyundai Pushing for Next Generation of Fuel Cell Vehicles
Hyundai has made it quite clear in the past few weeks that the company is looking for the new year to bring out their next generation of fuel cell vehicles. More to the point, in a recent interview with Autocar, Kim Sae-hoon, Hyundai and Kia’s head of hydrogen fuel cell research, gave these rumors credence. “We will launch a dedicated vehicle, although it is not clear what vehicle type it will be based around,” Kim said. “Developing a bespoke car offers clear advantages. For instance, the larger radiators on a fuel cell car the better, and you can see on the Mirai that they have developed a cooling solution that helps with that scenario.”
Fuel cell vehicles constitute those that use a fuel cell to power its on-board electric motor. That is, these fuel cells then create electricity to power an electric motor mostly by using oxygen from the air and compressed hydrogen. Therefore, these vehicles emit only water and heat (no tailpipe pollutants), which qualifies them to be zero-emissions vehicles. The alternative is becoming more and more popular among automakers and is certainly seen as a way for us to loosen our dependence on fossil fuels.
Of course, Kim was not specific as to what type of Hyundai vehicle will receive the fuel cell treatment, but rumor has it that it could certainly be one of the company’s notable SUVs. Kim noted that it was certainly possible for us to see an SUV fuel cell Hyundai due to the feedback gathered in 2015 from customers of the Hyundai Tuscon fuel cell vehicle. That is, those customers privy to driving a Tuscon fuel cell noted that the biggest things the vehicle was missing was an increased range and cargo capacity. “Our issue is that all customer feedback says range and boot space are the priorities, but of course a larger fuel tank impinges on boot space,” Kim said.
Aside from sticking to Hyundai’s fuel cell vehicle projects, Kim also discussed the future of the hydrogen landscape altogether, as well as his views on the matter. “[Fuel cell technology will move] very fast. In the past sixty years performance has improved two hundred times. That rate is increasing. Battery and fuel cell will co-exist, but fuel cell is the best powertrain for larger vehicles.”
All in all, the advancement of fuel cell vehicle technology—no matter the company—is very much a good thing. So much so, that even Hyundai’s sister automaker, Kia Motors, has announced previously that the company plans on launching its own division dedicated to fuel cell vehicles by 2020.
Keep checking back in here with us at Rosen Hyundai for more information about Hyundai’s future with fuel cell vehicle technology.
