On World EV Day, Hyundai has made it clear that its future is powered by hydrogen.
The Korean maker is already a leading producer of Electric Vehicles (EVs), and Fuel Cell Hydrogen Vehicles (FCEVs) are arguably just another type of EV: instead of being plugged in, they are filled with hydrogen at a pump (like petrol or diesel), which is fed into a fuel cell that generates power to drive an electric motor. The only emission is water.
Hyundai already has a production FCEV, the Nexo, in countries where hydrogen refuelling infrastructure is present (and a handful of evaluation examples in New Zealand); other makers with production FCEVs include Toyota (Mirai) and Honda (Clarity).
Hyundai has just shared its Hydrogen Vision 2040 programme, detailing a new wave of hydrogen-based technologies that point towards a "hydrogen society".
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According to the Hydrogen Council, a global CEO-led initiative of leading energy, transport, industry and investment companies, hydrogen energy will account for 18 per cent of global energy demand by 2050. The popularisation of hydrogen energy will also help cut CO2 emissions by more than six billion tonnes a year, while creating over 30 million new jobs.
Hyundai already has a third-generation fuel cell stack in development. The 100kW version is 30 per cent smaller than the technology currently used in Nexo, while the 200kW is suitable for trucks but is a physically similar size to the existing Nexo stack.
The current stack is good for 5000 hours/160,000km - similar to a petrol engine. The goal for the new technology is at least a 50 per cent improvement in durability/500,000km. Cost will also come down by 50 per cent - hence the prediction of price parity between FCEV and BEV.
It's not all that sexy talking about fuel cell stacks, but Hyundai has attempted to spice the whole thing up with an FCEV hybrid concept car called Vision FK. It's proposed to produce 500kW and hit 100km/h in less than four seconds, yet offer a range of 600km.
The unusual powertrain configuration points to a near-future production vehicle for a world where hydrogen infrastructure is still developing: FCEV paired with a plug-in combustion engine, meaning the vehicle can run on the fuel cell where hydrogen is available, but revert to plug-in/petrol power when it's not.
In the video of the Vision FK above, note the final cutaway showing hardware branded Rimac; Hyundai purchased a stake in the Croatian EV specialist in 2019 and has already stated the company will be part of a new FCEV project (as well as a sports car for its N-brand).
Many are picking the FK as a future Kia Stinger, even: same size and shape and yes, it's RWD.
But Hyundai Motor Group also says that the biggest gains in "hydrogen solutions" will be driven by commercial vehicles, which emit more pollution and drive longer distances than other road transport. It already has the Xcient FCEV truck, but plans to launch every new heavy vehicle from now on with zero-missions power options. By 2028 it plans to have fuel-cell power for all commercial vehicles.
Hyundai has also previewed the Trailer Drone concept, a fully autonomous container transport system with a double e-Bogie (wheeled subframe) configuration.
Other products preview for its hydrogen society include a tiny "urban mobility vehicle" called M.Vision Pop, an autonomous off-road e-bogie with "crab walk" steering that carries a rescue drone, a mobile fuel cell generator and hydrogen power packs for forklifts and excavators.
