Setting Hyundai's fuel cell strategy

Hyundai is one of two major OEMs that are still going it alone in developing FCEV technology, rather than collaborating with competitors. The company's head of fuel cell R&D explains the path toward 2015 series production.

Hyundai Motor Group's development of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) for series production beginning in 2015 is “proceeding on schedule,” assured Dr. Tae Won Lim, the automaker's Vice President responsible for fuel cell R&D. Power output of the production fuel cell powertrain has been increased, Dr. Lim noted, while driving range and all other features remain the same as previously revealed.

Hyundai is moving toward production FCEVs in carefully planned steps, as the automaker's Vice Chairman, Woong-Chul Yang, told AEI in September 2012. The latest milestone occurred last Feb. 26 when the first “commercial production” version of the ix35 Tucson FCEV rolled off the assembly line at the automaker's Ulsan factory. Hyundai plans to produce up to 1000 ix35 FCEVs by 2015, to be offered primarily to public sector and private fleet customers.