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Hyundai ix35 fuel cell SUV rolls out

Hyundai has deployed prototypes of its third-generation ix35 Fuel Cell in a wide range of initiatives.

They were handed over during the opening ceremony of Denmark's first hydrogen refuelling station and are the first hydrogen-powered vehicles manufactured on a production line to be introduced in Europe.

Hyundai has been a world leader in the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology ever since research into its first fuel cell began in 1998. The ix35 Fuel Cell produces no harmful tailpipe emissions, only water vapour, and so its use will help the city of Copenhagen achieve its aim of becoming carbon-neutral by 2025.

“We are potentially looking at getting the fuel cell Hyundai ix35 in Australia, however we have no time frame yet because the vehicle is only produced in left hand drive," Hyundai’s Australia spokesman Guido Schenken says. "The ix35 is the first step in fuel cell vehicles for Hyundai, so production is limited.” 

The ix35 Fuel Cell is equipped with a 100kW electric motor, and can reach a maximum speed of 160km/h. Two hydrogen storage tanks, located between the vehicle's rear axle, with a total capacity of 5.64kg, enable the vehicle to travel a total of 594km on a single fuelling. Filling the storage hydrogen tanks to maximum capacity takes just a few minutes.

Since 2011, Hyundai has deployed prototypes of its third-generation ix35 Fuel Cell in a wide range of initiatives to raise awareness of hydrogen's benefits as an automotive fuel; to support the drive for establishing a pan-European refuelling infrastructure; and to demonstrate the cars' real-world practicality to public and private organisations.