Next Hyundai FCEV confirmed for Oz

Hyundai's first dedicated hydrogen-powered fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) will be sold in Australia when it is released within two years.

The Korean car-maker announced last August that it will supply the ACT government's Hornsdale Windfarm Project with 20 FCEVs in 2018, and last week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Hyundai confirmed it will replace the existing ix35 FCEV with a dedicated new model in 2018.

Now Hyundai Australia spokesman Bill Thomas has confirmed the ACT fleet deal revolves around the brand's next-generation hydrogen FCEV, which will be based on a new platform and wrapped in a unique design when it debuts at the Geneva motor show in March.

"We will take the car," Thomas told motoring.com.au. "That initial order of 20 is a good start and it looks like other states are following suit -- SA will probably lead the way."

To help facilitate Hyundai's FCEV push in Australia, it has appointed former product planning manager Scott Nargar to the position of Manager Corporate Communications, Government Affairs and Environment.

"It’s a big job, but he’s already proven he is more than capable of success," said Thomas. "He was instrumental in the sale of 20 next-generation Hyundai hydrogen vehicles to the ACT government, as part of the Hornsdale Windfarm Project, due to be delivered in 2018. It was the first order for that vehicle anywhere in the world."

Nargar, who will work with various governments, media, fleet companies, academia and the public to manage Hyundai’s sustainability strategy in Australia, was instrumental in bringing the first ix35 FCEV Down Under nearly three years ago, when it became the first hydrogen car permanently imported into the country.

Now chairman of Australia’s H2 Mobility Working Group, Nargar also oversaw the commissioning and construction of Australia’s first — and to date, only — permanent hydrogen refueller for light vehicles, at Hyundai’s Macquarie Park headquarters.

Like Toyota — which recently undertook a local road show of its Mirai, the world's first mass-produced hydrogen FCEV, but has no plans to release the car here – Hyundai says (the lack of) hydrogen refuelling infrastructure remains a significant challenge for FCEVs in Australia.

"The trick will be making sure there is sufficient infrastructure to support it," said Thomas.

Speaking at the CES in Las Vegas last week, Hyundai vice-president Seung Ho Hwang said the company's new hydrogen FCEV would be an SUV but, unlike the current ix35 fuel cell, would not be based on any existing platform or model.

Hwang said the advantage of a bespoke platform for the FCEV is weight, which will give it a significantly longer range than the ix35.

He also said it will be more affordable. In markets like the UK, the hydrogen fuelled ix35 costs more than $90,000 and can drive for up to 560km between refills.

It’s likely the new fuel cell SUV, which could offer a range of more than 800km, will also come with a more powerful electric motor than its predecessor’s 100kW/300Nm powerplant that struggled with the ix35’s kerb weight of more than 1800kg.

According to an earlier report, the FCEV SUV will be sold globally and Hyundai hopes to sell 15,000 vehicles over a four-year production run.

The Korean car-maker's future mobility plan is for battery-electric vehicles to be used for short distances and fuel-cell vehicles, whose only emission is water vapour, to be used for long-range travel.

In Australia, Hyundai's first dedicated FCEV will do duty at the Renewable Transport Fuels Test Berth in Canberra from 2018.

The project is aimed at having the capacity to provide fuel-grade hydrogen for more than 1000 fuel-cell EVs travelling an average of 14,000km a year. To ensure the project’s squeaky-clean green credentials, the electricity is produced by wind power.

The $23 million Test Berth project will be delivered by French renewable energy company Neoen, investors Megawatt Capital and electrification specialist Siemens, via a contract with the ACT government and wind farm company Hornsdale Windfarm Stage 3.