Hydrogen: Hyundai’s Bold Bet

Hyundai has been focusing on fuel cells for three decades, balancing technical innovations and still limited infrastructure challenges.

Engaged since the late 1990s in the development of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV), Hyundai has positioned itself as one of the pioneers in automotive hydrogen. The promise is alluring: high range, quick refueling, and no tailpipe emissions. But behind these technical advantages lie persistent constraints: high costs of vehicles and hydrogen, scarcity of stations, and still marginal global adoption.

Hyundai’s industrial journey is marked by several milestones. The ix35 Fuel Cell, launched in 2013, was one of the first mass-produced passenger models. The NEXO, introduced in 2018, refined this approach with greater range and advanced assistance systems, solidifying a relative leadership in a still limited market. The N Vision 74 and INITIUM concepts illustrate the willingness to explore performance and design, but remain more technological showcases than models for mass distribution.

How long?

Beyond passenger cars, Hyundai is also developing hydrogen trucks and buses, sectors where quick refueling and energy density offer concrete advantages. However, the success of this strategy largely depends on external factors: infrastructure, costs of low-carbon hydrogen, and public support.

Hyundai’s vision combines battery, hybrid, and fuel cells in a multi-energy logic, aiming to diversify solutions rather than betting on a single technology. While the brand asserts itself as pioneering and innovative, its hydrogen bet remains subject to the economic and logistical uncertainties of a market still under construction, where the real potential of hydrogen mobility has yet to be confirmed.

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