The Tucson FCEV is more efficient, reliable, and performs better than it.
Hyundai remains one of the many automakers that are actively pursuing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. This new hydrogen-powered crossover is called Nexo by the company. This new model will be faster, more reliable, more efficient and larger than the Tucson-based Fuel-cell model. Although not much is known about the vehicle, Hyundai is eager for details.
The Nexo, though still a crossover like the Tucson is, is built on a unique platform that can be tailored to meet the specific needs of hydrogen-powered cars. This allows for better packaging of tough fuel tanks. The vehicle has three hydrogen tanks below its rear floor, and a lithium-ion battery in the trunk. The new car can hold 14.0 pounds of hydrogen compared to 12.4 in the previous one. It also has a storage system that is 36 pounds lighter than the Tucsons. The fuel cell stack, which converts hydrogen into electricity, is also smaller. Hyundai claims that the new fuel cell car is quieter because it has all moving parts (the drive motor, cooling components) under the hood. The fuel-cell stack generates 95 kilowatts and the battery can deliver 40 kW. This gives the driver motor a total power output of 135 kW.
The electric drive motor has a greater power output than ever before. The motor is now rated at 120 kW, 291 pound-feet torque, and gains of 20kW and 70lb-ft respectively. This means that the Nexo can accelerate in just 9.9 seconds to 60 mph, compared to 12.5 seconds previously.
According to Hyundai engineers, the system is durable to a 10-year/100,000-mile lifespan. It would take approximately 150,000 miles before the fuel-cell stack reaches an “end of its life” voltage. The vehicle should last as long as owners expect it to.
Durability testing included testing at 14,000 feet in Mount Evans, Colorado; towing up Towne Pass in Death Valley, on a 127-degree Fahrenheit Day; and freezing at -22 degrees in Alaska. This last point is important because fuel cell cars are notoriously difficult to start in cold conditions. Jerome Gregeois is the senior manager for eco powertrains, Hyundai America Technical Center. The new fuel-cell crossover can run in 30 seconds in temperatures as low as -22 degrees, while the Tucson took 90 seconds to warm up. He says, “In just minutes you can have all power.”
Driving range has also improved as you might expect from the technical improvements. The Nexo will be able to achieve an EPA rating that gives it 350 miles per tank of hydrogen, while returning an equivalent of 57 MPGe. Gregeois says that this is enough to get from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in a single tank of hydrogen. It’s also better than the Tucson FCEV’s rating of 265 m per fill-up.
It is still difficult to fuel up with hydrogen. Hyundai officials claim that there are very few hydrogen filling stations in the country and that the company is not interested in entering the fuel-supply industry. It will be a chicken-and egg situation, as it is with all fuel-cell cars. Before hydrogen stations become as common as gas stations or EV charging stations, it will be.
John Juriga, Hyundai Director of Powertrain, states that “we still consider internal combustion engines to be the dominant propulsion system up until 2025 and beyond.”
The exact timing of Hyundai’s commercialization of the Nexo is still unclear. The Tucson FCEV was only available for lease and in limited areas of Southern California. However, Hyundai is optimistic about the future hydrogen-powered vehicles.