Cars that run on hydrogen and exhaust only water vapor are emerging to
challenge electric vehicles as the world's transportation of the future.
Hyundai says
it will begin selling a hydrogen-powered Tucson compact SUV in 2014. It’s one
of several auto show announcements this week in Los Angeles and Tokyo about
hydrogen fuel cell vehicles being readied for production. Hyundai says this
will be the first mass-market hydrogen vehicle available in the US.
"These
things are now ready for prime time," said John Krafcik, CEO of Hyundai
North America. Less ready is the infrastructure needed to keep the cars on the
road: California has only nine hydrogen filling stations, and no state has them
widely available. California will have 100 more stations by 2023.
Even as the industry focused on battery-powered and hybrid cars,
automakers such as Hyundai, Honda and Toyota kept up research on fuel cells.
Now they appear to have conquered obstacles such as high costs, safety concerns
and a lack of filling stations. These vehicles could help the companies meet
stricter future fuel-economy standards.
At a media
event in Michigan at a Hyundai R&D facility, Hyundai North America CEO John
Krafcik told reporters that a hydrogen fuel cell “brings together the best
features of battery electric vehicles.” Krafcik also touted the “great range”
of hydrogen vehicles. Range in the new generation of hydrogen vehicles could be
300 miles versus the 75-100 miles for most EVs, or 200-250 miles for Teslas.
Hyundai says it has overcome safety and storage issues with a rear-mounted tank that has passed numerous crash tests without incident. The fuel cell combines pressurized, gaseous hydrogen with oxygen in the air to produce electricity that powers electric motors and move the vehicle. Water is the only emission.
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