Fuel cell car across ditch

Hyundai has announced the launch of its first zero-emissions passenger vehicle in Australia. It has been making the ix35 Fuel Cell in South Korea since February 2013 and it’s the first marque to mass produce a hydrogen-powered vehicle. Ian Macfarlane, Australia’s federal industry and science minister, officially unveiled the SUV at the opening of the country’s first hydrogen vehicle refuelling station at the car maker’s Sydney headquarters. He has also announced the establishment of an industry working party to speed up the adoption of hydrogen fuel-cell technology – a programme that could create jobs in engineering and manufacturing sectors with the future roll-out of refuelling infrastructure. The ix35 Fuel Cell has been undergoing operational trials in Australia on assessing the commercial viability of emissions-free hydrogen-powered vehicles in that country. Charlie Kim, chief executive officer of Hyundai Motor Company Australia, hopes that by bringing hydrogen technology down under they the company will inspire other Australians. “In February 2013, Hyundai became the first automobile manufacturer in the world to begin mass production of this hydrogen-powered vehicle,” he says. “The fact we have brought one to Australia is testament to how important this market and how seriously we take our environmental responsibility.” The ix35 Fuel Cell uses a fuel-cell stack to generate electricity from the reaction of hydrogen and air with electrodes of the stack. This electricity powers an electric motor, which produces 100kW and 300Nm and allows the car to accelerate from 0-100kph in 12.5 seconds and to a top speed of 160kph. The hydrogen refuelling station in Macquarie Park, Sydney, uses hydrogen provided by gas partner Coregas Australia, but Hyundai will soon create its own hydrogen on-site by using an electrolyser and solar panels. The refueller Hyundai Australia has installed is a 350-bar compressor, which takes about five minutes to fill the ix35 Fuel Cell from empty to give it a driving range of about 300km. Unlike in parts of Europe and North America, there are no plans for national hydrogen infrastructure in Australia, but Kim says the marque supports developing a “hydrogen highway” to link major cities there.