Post by Earl Grey on Sept 28, 2012 13:31:03 GMT 11
This is good news. 
Nothing new about Hydrogen powered vehicles...they were around in the second world war.
Hydrogen fuel cells however... they are new (to production cars anyway).
Hyundai first with hydrogen
September 28, 2012 - 12:10PM
Korean company beats the world’s biggest car makers to showrooms.
The hydrogen-powered car will be in showrooms within months – at least three years ahead of forecasts, and from an unlikely source.
Korean car maker Hyundai has toppled Toyota, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and General Motors by beating them to market with a hydrogen car.
Toyota, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and General Motors have had “fuel cell” cars in limited numbers on specialised fleet programs for the past three years – but Hyundai claims it will be the first to allow ordinary citizens behind the wheel without any special arrangements.
A statement issued by Hyundai at the Paris motor show overnight said: “Hyundai will begin series production of its hydrogen … fuel cell vehicle for public and private lease by the end of 2012, becoming the first global automaker to begin commercial rollout of a zero-emissions vehicle.”
Honda and Toyota have a handful of individual customers driving fuel cell vehicles in Japan and North America, but each car is closely monitored and drivers only lease the experimental vehicles, they never get to own them.
Hyundai says it will start production of the hydrogen-powered ix35 SUV in December 2012 ahead of deliveries in early 2013.
It plans to have 1000 fuel cell vehicles on the road by 2015, ramping up to 10,000 the year after that.
In addition to sales to private buyers, Hyundai says it has already signed contracts with municipal fleets in Denmark and Sweden to lease the ix35 hydrogen car.
“Zero-emissions cars are no longer a dream,” says Vice Chairman Woong Chul Yang, head of Hyundai research and development. “Our ix35 fuel cell vehicle is here today, and ready for commercial use.”
As with most modern hydrogen-powered cars, a fuel cell converts hydrogen into electricity, which charges the battery pack, which in turn powers the electric motor. The only by-product generated is heat, and water vapor from the tail-pipe.
Hyundai says refuelling with hydrogen takes about the same time as refuelling a petrol car, and that its model can accelerate from rest to 100 km/h in 12.5 seconds. Maximum driving range is 588km.
Hyundai estimates it costs about $70 to fill the 5.6kg-capacity tank, which equates roughly to $AU12.45 per 100km of driving range.
The company says it has been working on its own fuel cell system for 14 years and is the result of “several hundred million euros” of research.
In testing, hydrogen-powered Hyundais have logged more than 3.2 million kilometres of road testing in real-world conditions in Europe, Korea and North America.
theage.drive.com.au/motor-news/hyundai-first-with-hydrogen-20120928-26pgy.html
Nothing new about Hydrogen powered vehicles...they were around in the second world war.
Hydrogen fuel cells however... they are new (to production cars anyway).
Hyundai first with hydrogen
September 28, 2012 - 12:10PM
Korean company beats the world’s biggest car makers to showrooms.
The hydrogen-powered car will be in showrooms within months – at least three years ahead of forecasts, and from an unlikely source.
Korean car maker Hyundai has toppled Toyota, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and General Motors by beating them to market with a hydrogen car.
Toyota, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and General Motors have had “fuel cell” cars in limited numbers on specialised fleet programs for the past three years – but Hyundai claims it will be the first to allow ordinary citizens behind the wheel without any special arrangements.
A statement issued by Hyundai at the Paris motor show overnight said: “Hyundai will begin series production of its hydrogen … fuel cell vehicle for public and private lease by the end of 2012, becoming the first global automaker to begin commercial rollout of a zero-emissions vehicle.”
Honda and Toyota have a handful of individual customers driving fuel cell vehicles in Japan and North America, but each car is closely monitored and drivers only lease the experimental vehicles, they never get to own them.
Hyundai says it will start production of the hydrogen-powered ix35 SUV in December 2012 ahead of deliveries in early 2013.
It plans to have 1000 fuel cell vehicles on the road by 2015, ramping up to 10,000 the year after that.
In addition to sales to private buyers, Hyundai says it has already signed contracts with municipal fleets in Denmark and Sweden to lease the ix35 hydrogen car.
“Zero-emissions cars are no longer a dream,” says Vice Chairman Woong Chul Yang, head of Hyundai research and development. “Our ix35 fuel cell vehicle is here today, and ready for commercial use.”
As with most modern hydrogen-powered cars, a fuel cell converts hydrogen into electricity, which charges the battery pack, which in turn powers the electric motor. The only by-product generated is heat, and water vapor from the tail-pipe.
Hyundai says refuelling with hydrogen takes about the same time as refuelling a petrol car, and that its model can accelerate from rest to 100 km/h in 12.5 seconds. Maximum driving range is 588km.
Hyundai estimates it costs about $70 to fill the 5.6kg-capacity tank, which equates roughly to $AU12.45 per 100km of driving range.
The company says it has been working on its own fuel cell system for 14 years and is the result of “several hundred million euros” of research.
In testing, hydrogen-powered Hyundais have logged more than 3.2 million kilometres of road testing in real-world conditions in Europe, Korea and North America.
theage.drive.com.au/motor-news/hyundai-first-with-hydrogen-20120928-26pgy.html
