The auto industry’s efforts in creating more ecologically-friendly cars are focused on the development and improvement of either full electric cars or that of the hydrogen-powered fuel cell. Although many companies have fully embraced the development of better electric cars and their batteries, other companies placed their bets on the success of hydrogen fuel cells.
One such company is Hyundai, which released its first hydrogen-powered car back in 2014, equipped with the Hyundai Tucson Fuell Cell. Although it was a commendable effort by the company, the range of the car was eclipsed by other similar offers from Honda or Toyota. However, it seems instead of calling it quits, Hyundai has been hard at work developing their next generation of hydrogen fuel cell.
According to a new report from Motor Trend, the company is currently in the process of completing a new generation of fuel cells for SUVs, which will be capable of increasing the range of the company’s car by up to 30 percent. This translates into a max range of 348 miles on single charge.
Although this new fuel cell will put Hyundai ahead of its competitors like Honda’s Clarity Fuel Cell which has a range of 366 miles or the Toyota Mirai offering 312 miles. The range of hydrogen-powered cars is more important than on electric cars due to its undeveloped infrastructure, an issue which electric car manufacturers have addressed over the years, at least in the United States, like Tesla’s network of Supercharger stations.
Despite the buzz generated by Hyundai’s new fuel cell, the report reveals that the technology will only be available starting with January 2018, with an official reveal to happen sometime in 2017, as well as details regarding its price and marketing. The report places the SUV equipped with the second-generation hydrogen fuel cell at around $50,000. However, it’s unclear whether or not the company will keep the leasing program it currently has in place for their Tucson SUV in the US.
Furthermore, as promising as Hyundai’s new fuel cell sounds, it could once again be eclipsed by its competitors, if they manage to develop similar improvements in their fuel cell technology. Especially so, if they will release it around the same period.
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