The Next Generation Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle from Hyundai Motor Company

Authors

J. Kim PhD, Dr.-Ing. S. H. Kim, K. S. Lee MSc, Hyundai Motor Company, Gyeonggi-do, Korea

Year

2018

Print Info

Fortschritt-Berichte VDI, Series 12, No 807

Summary

The demand for environmentally friendly vehicles coming from industry, government, and the general public has never been stronger. Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) are one of promising candidates to replace the conventional vehicles as already proved by the fact that more and more carmakers have announced the inclusion of FCEVs in their line-ups. FCEVs use hydrogen as fuel and emit only water and heat when they run, which makes them perfect in regard to the environmental impact.
Hyundai Motor Company that launched the world’s first mass-produced FCEV, Tucson ix35 Fuel Cell, in 2013, will continue to lead in the market by introducing the next generation FCEV in early 2018. The new FCEV features all the technological advances made during the past 5 years and more, and shows better performance in every aspect than its predecessor.
The efficiency of the fuel cell system has been improved from 55% to 60%, and the driving range has been extended from 415 km to 600 km. The system power has been increased by 20% to exert 163 hp. In addition, the vehicle has cold start capability at -30°C. The durability of the fuel cell system also has been considerably enhanced. Along with the technical specifications of the next generation FCEV, the design concept and the details of engineering implementation are described.