Hyundai completes hydrogen fuel cell vehicle development

Hyundai has completed the development of a new hydrogen fuel cell vehicle based on the Tucson SUV, which it will put through extensive testing next year. Hyundai said production will begin in 2015. It will be tested during 2011 at eco-friendly car demonstration events in Seoul and other major cities, organised by the South Korean Ministry of Knowledge Economy.The Tucson ix FCEV is the latest in Hyundai’s green car line-up, following the first-generation Santa Fe FCEV introduced in 2000 and second-generation Tucson hybrid FCEV launched in 2008. The latest version has an extended driving range of 650 kilometer (km) per charge, compared with the Tucson hybrid FCEV’s 370 km. Improvements also include a 15% higher fuel efficiency, at  31km per liter. (December 21, 2010)