Initial Commercial Production Run of Hyundai ix35 Tucson FCEV Confirmed
04 Nov 2011
Jae Young Shim, a senior research engineer at Hyundai’s South Korean fuel cell vehicle technology centre, has confirmed to WardsAuto.com that small-scale production of the ix35 FCEV will begin in Ulsan next year, where the conventional model is currently produced. 1,000 cars will be produced for lease between 2012 and 2014 with a 10,000 first-year full-scale commercial production run planned for 2015. A target price of USD $50,000 has been set.
This closely matches information that Fuel Cell Today received from Hyundai’s UK product planning manager at the EcoVelocity green motorshow. He suggested that deployment would begin in South Korea and California in the 2013-14 period before spreading to Europe and other territories from 2015, with an approximate price of GBP £35,000 (~USD $55,000). This is a premium of about £10,000 over the higher-end gasoline variant and a very competitive price for a first-stage FCEV.
The ix35, branded as the Tucson in the USA, has a 100 kW fuel cell, which delivers 134 horsepower and represents a third of the total vehicle cost; this is coupled with a 21 kW Li-ion battery. Together they give a range of 525 km and a maximum speed of 160 km/h. Those who have test driven the car have given favourable reviews and Fuel Cell Today, who has ridden in the car, agrees: the car is responsive, smooth and we look forward to seeing it on the roads.
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