Motorsport to pioneer Hyundai FCEV tech

Hyundai N executives have confirmed hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) technology will eventually make its way into motorsport, which will serve as the catalyst for any potential road-going performance car applications of the fuel type.

Speaking to Australian media at the annual N Festival at The Bend on the weekend, Hyundai Motor Company’s vice-president of N brand management and motorsport, Till Wartenberg alluded to hydrogen’s eventual presence in endurance racing said it should not be ruled out for future Hyundai N production cars either.

“Honestly speaking, Hyundai is one of the few companies who can actually propose hydrogen as a technology in a fuel-cell,” he said.

“So, in the future I believe to have this competitive edge in technology, you shouldn’t rule it out and you should entertain it and you should discuss it and we are.

“Also the FIA, ACO – they’re all talking to us… about the future of racing.

“If it [hydrogen] ever finds its way as fuel-cell to a production model N-car I cannot answer today.

“In endurance racing, I think we will see it [FCEV technology] on the racetrack at some point.”

While Toyota is also heavily invested in FCEV technology, as evidenced by its second-generation Mirai, it rolled out a hydrogen-fuelled, combustion-powered Corolla at the Fuji 24 Hours endurance race in May, piloted by none other than Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda.

While his emphasis was clearly on fuel-cell technology, Wartenberg let slip that a “hydrogen-fuel combustion engine might be playing a role” before referring back to the fuel-cell EV set-up of the Hyundai N Vision 74 rolling lab.

“That might also be – that’s why the rolling lab is so important to us; to actually test this technology and see what’s possible and also give out he message that we’re ready to form the future of car racing,” he said.

The odds of a compact FCEV N performance model becoming available in showrooms any time soon are especially remote given due to the amount of space needed to house a high-output fuel-cell, however, the bigger and heavier the vehicle the better its chances.

According to N technical advisor Albert Biermann, high-performance fuel-cell technology “could become interesting” when it comes to something like a Palisade N or a pick-up truck, in which there’s plenty of real estate for all the associated hardware.

“It’s a bigger vehicle,” he said, adding that FCEV tech could also support the towing and range requirements of larger/heavier vehicles.

“If you would talk about ‘oh we need towing capability’ and we have space for hydrogen in the vehicle, like a Palisade or something like that.

“Of if you talk like bigger pick-up trucks – the bigger the better, for hydrogen.”

Biermann’s comments add yet another avenue of discussion and possibility in terms of the Hyundai Group’s upcoming ute programs, with both Hyundai and Kia gearing up to launch direct rivals for the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, potentially including zero-emission versions.

It’s unlikely an N or GT version of these light commercial models will materialise, but the eventual inclusion of an FCEV powertrain could pay dividends within a fleet context as it would monumentally slash refuelling/charging times when zero-emission vehicles eventually become the norm.

Hyundai’s fleet of 46 hydrogen fuel-cell trucks has already clocked up more than five million kilometres, but at this stage it appears hydrogen combustion is the more likely powertrain of choice for the Korean car-maker’s road and race cars.

“This is a very good application [of FCEV tech], but with the N-car…,” Biermann trailed off.

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