Korean automaker Hyundai said Wednesday that it plans to mass produce a hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle in 2015.
The company said that it has completed development on its next-gen Tucson ix Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle. The Tucson ix has a 100-kilowatt fuel cell system and two hydrogen storage tanks. The Tucson can also go 650 kilometers on one charge—about the equivalent of a gas-powered auto.
That range is a 76 percent improvement over the previous Tucson fuel-cell car, which logged 370 kilometers on a charge.
What Hyundai’s spec sheet shows is solid progress on shrinking the fuel cell system and improving range. Hyundai, which participated in a hydrogen fuel cell demonstration program by the U.S. Department of Energy, said it will produce 48 Tucson ix vehicles to be used by the Korean government.