Hyundai Could Launch Electric SUV With Over 1000km Range

The Nexo is Hyundai’s second generation of commercialised fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and could come to India by 2021

• The study is being undertaken to develop FCEVs in support of the government’s ‘Zero Emission Mobility’ vision.
• FCEVs are free of greenhouse gases and emit only water.
• FCEVs feature hydrogen fuel cell that powers the electric motor.
• Hyundai’s Nexo is a hydrogen fuel cell SUV that offers over 600km range as per the WLTP cycle in Europe.
• Hyundai is optimistic that the Nexo could deliver over 1000km range.
• Hyundai had showcased the Nexo at the 2018 India-Korea Business Summit in Delhi.

We had earlier reported that Hyundai plans to bring the Nexo to India. In order to develop the necessary infrastructure, the Korean carmaker has now undertaken a feasibility study for Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) in India. FCEVs are free from greenhouse gas emissions and emit only water. Also, when air filters through an FCEV, 99.9 percent of the particulates are filtered.

One of the major reasons for this study is to expand Hyundai’s existing greener mobility portfolio. To support this, it recently launched the Kona Electric in India making it the first long-range electric SUV in our country.

The Nexo uses hydrogen fuel cells to power an electric motor and has a range of over 600km on the WLTP test cycle (world harmonized light-duty vehicles test procedure) in Europe. As per Hyundai Motor India’s MD and CEO, the Nexo could deliver over 1000km in India.

Internationally, Hyundai offers the Nexo with an electric motor that develops 163PS of power and 395Nm of torque. It is capable of completing the 0-100kmph sprint in 9.2 seconds. The Nexo comes with a total tank capacity of 156.6 liters. It has three hydrogen tanks with a volume of 52.2 liters each. An interesting aspect according to Hyundai is that the Nexo can be fully refueled in only five minutes, unlike electric cars that usually take at least an hour.

We expect Hyundai to price the Nexo significantly higher than the Kona Electric. What do you think about this new technology?