Hyundai to put the Tucson ix Hydrogen Fuel-Cell EV in production by 2015

The car is part of Hyundai's program to produce environmentally-friendly fuel-cell cars, and the first product of that program to go into mass production will be the Tucson ix Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Electric Vehicle, which will go on general sale by 2015.

The crossover SUV electric vehicle will have a 100-kilowatt fuel cell system that is charged by two hydrogen storage tanks, and sends energy to a 21kWh battery that powers up an electric motor and allows the Tucson to travel up to a range of 650km, and reach a top speed of 160km/h.

Hyundai has managed to reduce the size of the fuel cell system by about 20% from systems currently in use, and has engineered it to operate in temperatures as low as -25 degrees Celsius. The range is also 76% better than the previous Tucson fuel cell electric vehicle, which is crucial as hydrogen refuelling stations are yet to be popularly implemented.