Which car manufacturers are betting on hydrogen
Hyundai is already committed to electrifying all its new commercial vehicle models with either a fuel cell or battery electric powertrain. Hyundai’s awareness of the benefits of hydrogen for the environment is nothing new because it began developing its first fuel cell electric vehicle back in 1998. Some fifteen years later, the manufacturer launched the ix35 Fuel Cell, paving the way for the mass production of fuel cell electric vehicles. Since then, the technology has been rolled out in other models, starting with the Nexo.
In addition to motorcars, all the industrial vehicles manufactured by the Hyundai group, including buses and HGVs, will be equipped with a fuel cell by 2028. The manufacturer has also unveiled several futurist concepts including a mobile generator, in the form of a truck equipped with recharging facilities for fuel cell vehicles. This hydrogen generator will be capable of recharging up to 25 vehicles simultaneously.
As a reminder, a hydrogen vehicle can cover substantial distances without producing any CO2 as the engine only produces water. Even better, they only take a few minutes to “fill up”.
Apart from Hyundai, another pioneer in this field is Toyota. In 2014, the Japanese manufacturer launched the Mirai, its first saloon car equipped with a fuel cell. In fact, the second generation Mirai currently holds the world record for a mass-produced car covering 1,003km on a single “tank”. Honda is also highly committed to developing hydrogen fuelled cars.
In France, the startup Hopium, driven by Olivier Lombard, former winner of the 24 hour Le Mans race (LMP2 category), is working on an ambitious top-of-the-range saloon car capable of performances as yet unequalled by a mass-produced fuel cell electric vehicle, i.e., over 500 horsepower, a top speed of 230km/hr and an autonomy of up to 1,000km. Production of the ‘Machina’ could start as early as 2026.
