Hyundai Motor to test-run hydrogen fuel-cell car in 2011

Hyundai Motor Co., Korea’s top carmaker, has completed the development of a new hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, advancing its entry into the green car market. The model, Tucson ix hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, will be tested next year, the company said Sunday.

The auto giant has heavily invested in electric and hybrid vehicles to cope with a growing demand for environment-friendly and fuel-efficient vehicles.

A cutaway version of the new car was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The firm recently completed the development by adding body design. Mass production will begin in 2015, the company said.

It will be tested next year at eco-friendly car demonstration events in Seoul and other major cities, organized by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.

Tucson ix FCEV is the latest in the firm’s green car lineup following the first-generation Santa Fe FCEV introduced in 2000 and second-generation Tucson hybrid FCEV in 2008.

Among others, the new version has an extended driving range of 650 kilometers per charge, compared with Tucson hybrid FCEV’s 370 kilometers. Improvements also include a 15 percent higher fuel efficiency, which enables the car to run 31 kilometers per liter.　

It can start on as low a temperature as minus 25 degrees Celsius and is equipped with a 100 kilowatt fuel-cell system and two hydrogen storage tanks.　

It modularized the bulky fuel-cell system, reducing the size by 20 percent from the previous version to match conventional gasoline engines. 　

The firm has localized production of more than 95 percent of its components through technology cooperation with about 120 domestic suppliers.

Hyundai Motor Group, which owns Hyundai and Kia Motors Corp., has introduced various electric vehicles including the Elec-City, BlueOn and i10 and other hydrogen cars such as Kia’s Mohave.

The two firms have been testing 66 hydrogen-based vehicles at home and abroad. In March, Hyundai Tucson and Kia Mohave fuel-cell vehicles finished a 2,655-kilometer course in the Hydrogen Road Tour organized by the U.S. Department of Energy. Global leaders such as General Motors, Toyota and Nissan also took part in the event.

During the tour they ran at an average speed of over 100 kilometers per hour over a distance of 400 to 500 kilometers a day.

Hyundai and Kia’s test-run has so far covered more than 2 million kilometers abroad, the company said.