The fuel-cell powered ix35 is capable of averaging the equivalent of 60mpg, all while offering zero local emissions
This is the Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell car, which Hyundai says will go into medium-scale production (up to 10,000 units per year) from 2015.Hyundai says it started researching hydrogen fuel cells as a viable powertrain back in 1998 and produced the first prototype in 2001. Hyundai also explains that it is the only car maker carrying out fuel-cell research with partners.Based on the Santa Fe, the 2001 concept had a 75kW fuel cell, a 72-litre gas tank, a top speed of 77mph and a range of around 99 miles. The 2007 Tuscon-based prototype had a 100kW fuel cell, a 152-litre gas tank, a 93mph top speed and a 186-mile range.Today’s car, based on the ix35 SUV has a 100kW fuel cell, a 144 litre of hydrogen capacity in two tanks, a 100mph top speed and a range of 404 miles. Hyundai says that it will build 1000 examples of this car, with minor changes for series production, between now and 2015.After 2015 the Korean company expect to build as many as 10,000 examples per year, a hope driven by the roll-out of the first hydrogen re-fuelling stations across the globe.From the inside and outside - aside from a slightly smaller boot - the ix35 is completely conventional, down to the standard-issue autobox shift lever. Under the skin, however, it is completely new.The front wheels are driven by a 65kW - equivalent to 87.2bhp - electric motor, through a single speed reducer gear. Also under the bonnet is the fuel cell stack, which converts hydrogen gas into electricity.Under the floor is a 29kW battery - only big enough for a tiny 0.6 mile range - which is used primarily to assist the fuel cell stack when power demand is at its greatest. The battery pack is also used to ‘harvest’ waste energy from the regenerative braking system.There are two gas tanks: a smaller 40-litre unit in front of the rear axle and a 104-litre tank behind the rear axle, which robs a small amount of boot space.The production gas tanks are made by winding a continuous filament of plastic around an aluminium tank so the plastic wall of the tank is around 80mm thick. Some 85 per cent cheaper than the aluminium and carbon-fibre tanks used in today’s prototype, the filament-wound tanks are designed to be effectively indestructible in a crash.The tank is also able to hold the gas at very high pressures (700bar), which is one of the reasons this car has a good range.
The fuel-cell powered ix35 is capable of averaging the equivalent of 60mpg, all while offering zero local emissions
This is the Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell car, which Hyundai says will go into medium-scale production (up to 10,000 units per year) from 2015.Hyundai says it started researching hydrogen fuel cells as a viable powertrain back in 1998 and produced the first prototype in 2001. Hyundai also explains that it is the only car maker carrying out fuel-cell research with partners.Based on the Santa Fe, the 2001 concept had a 75kW fuel cell, a 72-litre gas tank, a top speed of 77mph and a range of around 99 miles. The 2007 Tuscon-based prototype had a 100kW fuel cell, a 152-litre gas tank, a 93mph top speed and a 186-mile range.Today’s car, based on the ix35 SUV has a 100kW fuel cell, a 144 litre of hydrogen capacity in two tanks, a 100mph top speed and a range of 404 miles. Hyundai says that it will build 1000 examples of this car, with minor changes for series production, between now and 2015.After 2015 the Korean company expect to build as many as 10,000 examples per year, a hope driven by the roll-out of the first hydrogen re-fuelling stations across the globe.From the inside and outside - aside from a slightly smaller boot - the ix35 is completely conventional, down to the standard-issue autobox shift lever. Under the skin, however, it is completely new.The front wheels are driven by a 65kW - equivalent to 87.2bhp - electric motor, through a single speed reducer gear. Also under the bonnet is the fuel cell stack, which converts hydrogen gas into electricity.Under the floor is a 29kW battery - only big enough for a tiny 0.6 mile range - which is used primarily to assist the fuel cell stack when power demand is at its greatest. The battery pack is also used to ‘harvest’ waste energy from the regenerative braking system.There are two gas tanks: a smaller 40-litre unit in front of the rear axle and a 104-litre tank behind the rear axle, which robs a small amount of boot space.The production gas tanks are made by winding a continuous filament of plastic around an aluminium tank so the plastic wall of the tank is around 80mm thick. Some 85 per cent cheaper than the aluminium and carbon-fibre tanks used in today’s prototype, the filament-wound tanks are designed to be effectively indestructible in a crash.The tank is also able to hold the gas at very high pressures (700bar), which is one of the reasons this car has a good range.