News CES 2018: Hyundai NEXO hydrogen car revealed CES 2018: Hyundai NEXO hydrogen car revealed
January 09, 2018
High-tech Hyundai eco flagship will drive itself up to 600km on one fill, with water vapour the only emission
Meet the Hyundai NEXO. It’s a new hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle that will be on sale in 2018 – including in Australia – and has been dubbed an “earth-saving effort” by company senior executives.
Unveiled at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, this tree-hugging hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) is unlike a fossil-fuelled car in that it emits particles that are non-harmful to humans and the environment, in this case water vapour.
NEXO can park itself with or without a driver, has a widescreen video feed of rear blind spots and will drive itself on freeways and in traffic. But the NEXO’s most impressive party trick it’s hydrogen fuel-cell stack.
Unlike battery electric cars, which can take hours to charge, refuelling the hydrogen fuel-cell car’s pressurised tank takes only slightly longer than it does to fill a petrol or diesel vehicle. Hyundai says it’s around five minutes.
The 95kW hydrogen fuel-cell then creates energy for the vehicle’s 40kW battery and to power the 120kW electric motor, thus propelling the vehicle.
It’s no Ferrari, but it generates enough power and torque (a combined 135kW/395Nm — up from 124kW) to zip it to 100km/h in 9.6 seconds.
That’s 20 per cent quicker than the Tucson FCEV (12.5sec) and the NEXO is expected to provide strong acceleration at city speeds, such as 0-60km/h.
The Hyundai NEXO has a claimed range of around 600km — 30 per cent more than the Tucson FCEV (425km) and also more than the Tesla Model S’s circa-500km range.
Hyundai sources insist 800km has been achieved in regular testing.
Because there’s no engine, ownership costs (maintenance and servicing) will be lower than those of a conventional combustion-engine vehicle, says Hyundai.
With a snazzy, head-turning exterior design that screams “I’m high tech, no really!”, the Hyundai NEXO is based on an all-new platform developed specifically for the new hydrogen powertrain.
It’s longer and wider than the Tucson FCEV it replaces, which means a larger and more practical interior.
But while it’s lighter, faster and more efficient than its predecessor, the biggest hurdle facing hydrogen cars like the NEXO remains a lack of refuelling infrastructure.
Oil companies still have a stranglehold on the land vehicle fuel market but Hyundai is betting big bucks this will change, particularly as emissions regulations start throwing punches from the year 2020.
The first 20 orders for the NEXO – anywhere in the world it should be noted – were placed by the Australian Capital Territory government. Yep, Aussie bureaucrats are all over the NEXO like a cheap suit, and they’ll be among the first in the world to drive the high-tech SUV.
By linking a new hydrogen fuelling station to its upcoming Hornsdale Windfarm project, ACT’s public servants will be able to silently cruise around in truly zero-emission vehicles. No coal-fired energy here.
But it’s not just government types who will get to zip around in silent serenity, because Hyundai wants to sell the NEXO to private buyers in Australia too. First public slaes will commence in Korea in March.
The price of the Hyundai NEXO is not yet clear, but motoring.com.au understands Hyundai is aiming for a sub-$100,000 price tag in Australia. The luxury car tax will add a fair whack to the cost of the car and Hyundai sources have said leasing the car will make it palatable to early adopters and fleets buyers.
Australia could be a hydrogen leader
“The NEXO is the fourth generation FCEV for Hyundai and second generation to go into mass production. The technology is available, we just have to make sure Australia is ready to take the technology and start planning for the future of mobility,” says Scott Nargar, Hyundai Australia’s manager of future mobility.
He’s the man pushing Hyundai’s hydrogen dream in Australia, where just one hydrogen refuelling station exists (owned by Hyundai at its Sydney head office), and says Aussies have the scientific know-how to be leaders in the field.
“Currently we’re sitting behind the US and Europe, [but] there’s no reason we shouldn’t be leading.”
The CSIRO is developing a sustainable method to produce hydrogen using ammonia, and there are plans afoot to export vast quantities of this energy to Korea and other parts of Asia in future, which could give Australia a seat at the big boys’ table.
Nargar observes that the cost to set up hydrogen refuelling stations has halved in the last five years and there’s a push to encourage local manufacturing and the use of local materials for their development, generating jobs for the Australian economy.
He says it costs between one and 1.5 million dollars to set up a self-sufficient hydrogen refuelling station in Australia, and there are several more on the way.
“The South Australian government is working on a hydrogen filling station for a fleet of buses and cars, Moreland Council in Victoria will have a hydrogen filling station operational by early 2019 and of course the ACT government are finalising plans for their station location and capacity near the Canberra CBD.”
“We’re working with a number of other consortiums for projects in three others states to get hydrogen infrastructure going,” Nargar told motoring.com.au.
Getting hydrogen refuelling stations up and running in Australia in the near future will be vital to ensure the future of fuel-cell vehicles, but given the lack of incentives and slow uptake of EVs, the popularisation of hydrogen cars here is far from guaranteed.
The cost of the wonder-fuel is another potential pitfall. Hydrogen is measured in kilograms, not litres, and likely be more expensive than petrol or diesel – it’s currently about 10% more expensive than petrol in the USA. Based on European prices, we’d be paying around $15 per kilo in Australia today. With its three pressurised tanks allowing for just under 6kg of hydrogen, it would cost around $90 to fill the Hyundai Nexo.
That said, if a critical mass of filling stations and hydrogen refinement is met, prices will drop. Eventually.
Even so, Nargar is confident that hydrogen cars will one day be the norm, despite the fact there are only 63 hydrogen filling stations in the US, mostly in California, plus 118 in Europe and 10 in Korea. By comparison, there are around 6000 petrol stations in Australia alone.
NEXO has more tricks up its sleeve
The Hyundai NEXO also comes with high-tech interior design and cool pop-out door handles which make a strong first impression. Improved semi-automated driving functions, such as a BVM or blind-spot view monitor are neat features, the latter providing “wide angle surround view monitors” to eliminate blind-spots.
Updated lane following assist and highway driving assist features give the NEXO semi-automated driving functionality, an area where Asian car-makers are lagging behind the Americans and the Europeans.
It works between zero and 150km/h, and “automatically adjusts the steering to help keep Nexo centred in its lane of travel”, says Hyundai.
The Korean car-maker says the system works on highways but also city streets.
The NEXO will also park itself whether people are in the SUV or not. Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA) is the ultimate “Look mum, no hands!” feature but it’s far from new.
Mercedes and BMW have been offering similar systems for almost two years.
Although Hyundai isn’t putting all its eggs in one basket – it has a battery electric vehicle strategy too – it’s banking big on the success of hydrogen vehicles.
“The key to it all is how we use renewable energy. It’s about how we power the future of mobility but also the future of life – cities, homes, you name it,” said Nargar.
“Customers are approaching us — private and business and government — in terms of car availability and filling station locations.”
Has Hyundai found a silver bullet to solve Australia’s range-anxiety fear of EVs with hydrogen cars? Have your say in the comments below.
That’s 20 per cent quicker than the Tucson FCEV (12.5sec) and the NEXO is expected to provide strong acceleration at city speeds, such as 0-60km/h.
Because there’s no engine, ownership costs (maintenance and servicing) will be lower than those of a conventional combustion-engine vehicle, says Hyundai.
But while it’s lighter, faster and more efficient than its predecessor, the biggest hurdle facing hydrogen cars like the NEXO remains a lack of refuelling infrastructure.
By linking a new hydrogen fuelling station to its upcoming Hornsdale Windfarm project, ACT’s public servants will be able to silently cruise around in truly zero-emission vehicles. No coal-fired energy here.
The price of the Hyundai NEXO is not yet clear, but motoring.com.au understands Hyundai is aiming for a sub-$100,000 price tag in Australia. The luxury car tax will add a fair whack to the cost of the car and Hyundai sources have said leasing the car will make it palatable to early adopters and fleets buyers.
Nargar observes that the cost to set up hydrogen refuelling stations has halved in the last five years and there’s a push to encourage local manufacturing and the use of local materials for their development, generating jobs for the Australian economy.
“We’re working with a number of other consortiums for projects in three others states to get hydrogen infrastructure going,” Nargar told motoring.com.au.
Even so, Nargar is confident that hydrogen cars will one day be the norm, despite the fact there are only 63 hydrogen filling stations in the US, mostly in California, plus 118 in Europe and 10 in Korea. By comparison, there are around 6000 petrol stations in Australia alone.
It works between zero and 150km/h, and “automatically adjusts the steering to help keep Nexo centred in its lane of travel”, says Hyundai.
Although Hyundai isn’t putting all its eggs in one basket – it has a battery electric vehicle strategy too – it’s banking big on the success of hydrogen vehicles.
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