Hyundai completes prototype of hydrogen-powered Tucson iX

Among the various eco-friendly fuel sources competing for attention in the electric vehicle market, hydrogen has emerged as an alternative source of energy, along with natural gas and clean diesel in the last decade.

Taking advantage of an expected rise in demand for hydrogen-powered cars, Hyundai Motor, the nation’s largest carmaker, announced yesterday that it has completed development of the Tucson iX, a fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV), and will begin fully testing the car next year.

Hyundai said that the new vehicle is a substantial advancement from its previous attempt at making a hydrogen vehicle in 2008.

The new vehicle is made based on its third-generation FCEV technology, which has a 100-kilowatt fuel cell system with two tanks for hydrogen storage - developed by the carmaker - and can operate in extremely cold conditions.

The vehicle will also have fuel efficiency of 31 kilometers per liter (73 miles a gallon). In addition, it will have a maximum traveling distance of 650 kilometers (404 miles) per charge, one of the best rates in the world, according to the automaker.

Hyundai said that it worked with about 120 Korean auto parts manufacturers and was able to make over 95 percent of the major parts with domestic technology. The company said that it will make a limited supply of the vehicle in 2012 and get ready for commercialization in 2015, working closely with the government and energy companies in the interim to expand the infrastructure for hydrogen vehicles.

Hyundai is not the only automaker involved in FCEV production. Other companies such as General Motors, Honda, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Fiat have begun to develop the vehicles, but many have scaled back or dropped their plans due to high production prices.

FCEVs are estimated to be 10 times as expensive to produce as other cars.