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– French aeronaut and president of the Solar Impulse Foundation Bertrand Piccard has broken the world record for the longest distance traveled in a hydrogen-powered vehicle on a single refueling. Driving in a Hyundai NEXO, Piccard left the FaHyence hydrogen station in Sarreguemines on Monday 25 November, a place chosen because of the Grand Est Region’s commitment to responsible mobility, and arrived the next day at the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace in Le Bourget – a distance of 778km. Never before has a production car powered by a hydrogen fuel cell covered so many kilometres on a single charge.
Accustomed to extraordinary challenges, including the first round-the-world trip in a balloon with Breitling Orbiter and the first round-the-world trip in a solar plane with Solar Impulse, this time Bertrand Piccard was able to take passengers along on this adventure. This was an opportunity for the adventurer and his guests to discover a new generation of car, to share their experiences in terms of environmental protection and to compare their points of view on sustainable development and mobility.
In the passenger seat alongside Bertrand Piccard were:
- Jean Rottner, President of the Grand Est Region (French)
- Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg
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The Hyundai NEXO Fuel Cell vehicle has been named as a ‘game changer’ at the annual Autocar awards, in recognition of its trail-blazing zero emissions hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Mark Tisshaw, Editor of Autocar, said: “Hyundai has become a world leader in advancing alternative fuel technologies, and developing them to production maturity before its rivals. Hot on the heels of its Kona Electric – arguably a game changer itself – Hyundai has quickly launched NEXO, a new, hydrogen-powered SUV you can buy right now. Actually, it’s the latest of several generations of hydrogen fuel cell Hyundai vehicles, launched while most car makers are still years behind.”
NEXO’s fuel cell electric powertrain offers the latest in fuel cell electric vehicle technology, with increased performance over its ix35 Fuel Cell predecessor. An on board electric motor produces135kW, drawing power from an under-bonnet fuel cell stack, which combines oxygen from the surrounding air with hydrogen from NEXO’s high-pressure storage tanks.
The result is electricity to power the motor and charge the battery, and water vapour, which harmlessly exits through the exhaust. With full tanks of hydrogen on board, NEXO is capable of travelling 666km (WLTP), before being able to refuel in just a few minutes.
Outside of its environmentally friendly powertrain, NEXO also has an advanced air purification system which filters 99.9% of very fine dust (PM2.5). The vehicle shows the exact amount of air purified on the display panel in the car.
NEXO has also been independently awarded the UL Bio Environmental Seal for the use of bio fibres from sugar cane waste and vegetable plasticisers in the headliner and carpet areas, bio plastics from sugar cane and corn waste in door, seat, pillar and console trims and bio paint extracted from rapeseed and soybean oils for the dashboard and centre console.
Ashley Andrew, Managing Director, Hyundai Motor UK, said: “Hyundai has been pioneering Fuel Cell technology for years, including the launch of the world’s first commercially available example, the ix35 Fuel Cell. What we’ve done with NEXO is develop that offering even further into a beautifully designed, enormously advanced and sustainable SUV that has already seen major interest from commercial customers throughout the UK.”
The Autocar ‘Game Changer’ awards are handed to cars that bring new, higher standards to a hard-fought class, or for defying conventions to bring unexpected benefit for buyers.
The NEXO is already on sale in Europe, with an Australian launch slated for late 2019.