As the first production Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell rolls off the production line at the Korean car maker’s Ulsan facility, Hyundai becomes the world’s first automaker to put an FCEV into mass production. In the first phase of production Hyundai will make zero-emission FCEVs for fleet and government use. The public is not yet ready for hydrogen-powered cars.
Hyundai hopes that after 2015 the cost production becomes lower and the world finally comes up with a solution for implementing a hydrogen infrastructure. Then they can begin manufacturing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for consumer retail sales.
Based on a normal ix35 crossover, Hyundai’s first FCE features a fuel cell stack and a hydrogen tank to feed it. It converts H2 into electricity, which is eventually used to power to the car. The only emission of this process is H2O, which is water.
The car also gets some exclusive features such as a new radiator grille, bumper, fog lamps, instrument cluster and 7-inch GPS exclusively for the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Performance-wise, the ix35 fuel cell accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 12.5 seconds, has a top speed of 160 km/h and can travel 594 kilometers with a single charge.
