Hyundai Ready to Market This Hydrogen Gem!

After several delays, a very limited series of the Hyundai N Vision 74 could be produced and may be registerable.

When a concept car meets its audience, the temptation for a manufacturer to bring it to the road is strong, and Hyundai is no exception. The automaker opened the door to all possibilities during its traditional CEO Investor Day held this week in Seoul.

50th Anniversary of the Pony

Unveiled for the first time in 2022, the N Vision 74 is a functional hybrid concept car with a hydrogen fuel cell. Its design is inspired by the Pony Coupé project from 1974 created by the legendary Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. This neo-retro coupe was developed around a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell architecture that combines the advantages of a battery engine with a zero-emission hydrogen supply system. Designed with high performance in mind, it can provide stable power without the degradation typical of electric vehicles under low charge conditions. With a recharge time of 5 minutes, this unique hydrogen fuel cell hybrid architecture explores its high-performance potential as a fully functional rolling laboratory.

The N Vision 74 is equipped with two independent motors on the rear wheels, offering a combined power of 680 hp and a 0 to 100 km/h time of under 4 seconds. The power is supplied by an 85 kW hydrogen fuel cell at the front, a 62 kWh lithium-ion battery located between the driver and passenger, and two hydrogen tanks of 2.1 kg at the rear for a range of nearly 600 km.

Everything points towards a limited series production, and the latest information from Korea indicates about 100 models, of which 2/3 will be civilized and made compliant for registration, and 1/3 intended for fun on the track. But as you might have guessed, there is a catch… In mid-January, Hyundai presented the NPX1 based on the Ioniq 5 N, announcing its commercialization during the year. No hydrogen, but an all-electric powerhouse, thus directly competing with the N Vision 74. It is much easier to achieve performance in a 100% electric vehicle than in a hybrid, and Hyundai may be tempted to leave its N Vision 74 as a beautiful dream machine in a unique model. Let’s hope for a bit of madness from the Korean manufacturer and comfort ourselves by saying that it has already proven its competence at this level!

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