It’s Automotive Trivia Day here at Atlantic Hyundai
Hyundai Motor was the first company to mass-produce which type of alternative vehicle:
[A] Solar Cell Powered Car
[B] Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car
[C] Electric/Gasoline Hybrid Car
[D] Bio-Diesel Powered Car
The answer is B! Hyundai Motor company was the first to mass-produce a hydrogen-powered car, the ix35 FCEV. That model car was later replaced by the Tucson FCEV for its 2nd gen hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. The vehicles were in production from 2013 through 2018. In Late 2018/Early 2019, the company unveiled a new line of FCEV cars replacing both the ix35 and the Tucson FCEV: The Hyundai Nexo. The Hyundai Nexo is lighter and more powerful than its predecessors, and is the flagship vehicle for the company’s “eco car” lineup. Although hydrogen cell vehicles are still in the early stages of catching on in the general public, it is no doubt that Hyundai is a pioneer in environmentally friendly automobiles.
The Hyundai Tucson FCEV 2012 Washington Auto Show via Wikimedia Commons
The 2013 Hyundai iX35 via Wikimedia Commons
A Hydrogen Fueling Station for Hyundai Nexo FCEV customers
What Makes a Hyundai Nexo Different from Other Standard EVs?
With an estimated range of 380 miles and 161 horsepower, the Nexo is certainly a world class effort in Eco Cars; most standard EVs have a range of 100-200 miles on a standard charge. Unlike regular combustion engines that require gasoline, there are zero tailpipe emissions from a FCEV! The only thing the exhaust tailpipe expels is H2O vapor, pretty cool! And you can say goodbye to long lines at the fueling station, because it takes just five minutes to refuel the Hyundai NEXO. In fact, it’s so fuel efficient that you can drive non-stop from San Francisco to Los Angeles on one fuel up. Way cool! The Nexo is also outfitted with state of the art safety features and driver assistance options such as lane following assist, collision and pedestrian avoidance, and remote park assistant -- a feature which allows the Nexo to self-park autonomously, both parallel parking and perpendicular.
But how do you power a car with a Hydrogen Fuel Cell?
The Nexo is powered by a Hydrogen Fuel Cell System which is more efficient than internal combustion engines in conventional cars. When you refuel your vehicle with hydrogen, the hydrogen fuel travels to the fuel-cell stack. The electric motor is powered via electrochemical reaction with oxygen from the air intake, or the electricity gets stored in the battery for future usage. Within the fuel cells, hydrogen atoms are split into protons and electrons; electrons power an electrical current to the motor, and the protons pass through a membrane where they combine with the electrons and oxygen atoms to form the water vapor emissions. Hydrogen energy is both safe and energy efficient. The fuel is stored inside carbon-fiber tanks, well-tested in state of the art facilities to ensure highest safety standards. Unlike gasoline fuels, this means the risk of fires igniting from escaped fuel is very low! Should any of the fuel leak, however, hydrogen is the lightest element and it quickly dissipates into the air.
The Hyundai Nexo is still catching on in the mainstream consumer market, with the 2021 currently only offered at select dealers in California; refueling stations are not yet as widely available across the country as regular EV charging stations. Still, the future is very promising for this energy efficient, zero emission alternative vehicle and Hyundai is very excited to be at the forefront of this technology.
