Hyundai has opened the Ulsan factory in Korea where the future zero emission, hydrogen powered models will be manufactured. It has become the world’s first automaker to produce fuel cell vehicles on an assembly line production scale, and the first ix35 Fuel Cell model exited the assembly line during a launch event attended by Hyundai top management and VIPs a couple of days ago.

The ix35 Fuel Cell unveiled at the ceremony will be one of 17 destined for fleet customers in Denmark and Sweden. The Municipality of Copenhagen, as part of its initiative to be carbon-free by 2025, will be supplied with 15 of these vehicles for fleet use. Two models will be supplied to Skane, in Sweden.

“Assembly-line production of fuel cell vehicles marks a crucial milestone in the history of the automobile industry not just in Korea, but throughout the world,” said Mang Woo Park, mayor of Ulsan city.

Hyundai plans to build 1,000 ix35 Fuel Cell cars by 2015 for lease to public and private fleets, primarily in Europe, where the European Union has established a hydrogen road map and initiated construction of hydrogen fuelling stations.

The strategy of leading automakers in Europe and the US is to supply hydrogen fuel cell cars and establish refuelling stations. Their aim is to prepare the market for mass production of these vehicles, and make the public aware of the potential of this new technology.

After 2015, with lowered vehicle production costs and further developed hydrogen infrastructure, Hyundai will begin manufacturing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for consumer retail sales.

Built with proprietary technology, Hyundai’s ix35 Fuel Cell is powered by hydrogen. A fuel cell stack converts the hydrogen into electricity, which turns the vehicle’s motor. The only emission generated by the car is water. Hyundai’s ix35 Fuel Cell boasts drivability and performance similar to that of the petrol ix35.

The development and application of a new radiator grille, bumper, fog lamps, instrument cluster and 7-inch GPS exclusively for these cars enhances the ix35 Fuel Cell’s marketability.

As governments around the world step up regulations to reduce carbon output and fossil fuel dependency, zero emissions mobility solutions such as Hyundai’s ix35 Fuel Cell will become a driving force of change. It aligns with the 2009 agreement by the European Union’s G8 countries to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 and California’s Zero Emission Vehicle regulations.

You can refuell your car with hydrogen in only several minutes. It accelerates from zero to 62 mph in 12.5 seconds, has a top speed of around 100 mph and can travel 370 miles with a single fill up.

The ix35 Fuel Cell is the result of 14 years and several hundred million euros of research by hundreds of engineers at Hyundai’s fuel cell R&D center in Mabuk, Korea. The car has logged more than 2 million miles of road tests in real-world conditions in Europe, Korea and the U.S.

The first ix35 Fuel Cell vehicle rolled off the assembly line will be displayed at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.

Related posts:

• Toyota hybrids get more popular in Europe
  For the first time annual sales of both Toyota and Lexus hybrid cars topped about 100,000 units in Europe in 2012. The milestone was achieved due to a...
• Nissan Leaf smashes 50,000 global sales milestone
  The all-electric Nissan LEAF marked another milestone in the history of electric vehicles as it passed the 50,000 sales mark, reinforcing its position...
• Dongfeng Fengshen E30 EV coming to China in 2014
  Production of the Dongfeng Fengshen E30 EV, a small electric vehicle that debuted as the Donfeng EJo2 at the Shanghai Auto Show in 2011, will start in...
• Introducing Toyota i-Road Personal Mobility Vehicle
  Toyota Motor Corp will introduce its new the all-electric eco vehicle Toyota i-Road at this years Geneva Motor Show. Well, it can hardly be called a c...
• Volkswagen XL1 debuted at 2013 Geneva Motor Show
  Volkswagen introduced its new super-efficient hybrid coupe, the Volkswagen XL1, at 2013 Geneva Motor Show. This two-seater is the most fuel-efficient ...