As part of the European Hydrogen Road Tour, Hyundai are offering members of the public the chance to drive the ix35 FCEV.
As we revealed back in August, the Hyundai ix35 FCEV – Hyundai’s hydrogen-powered electric ix35 – is going in to production before the end of 2012, the first proper production fuel cell vehicle…in the world.
The initial production run is small – just 1,000 cars – but Hyundai are planning to put the ix35 FCEV in to full production by 2015, by which time they’re hoping there will be a viable hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in place.
To make that happen, hearts and minds need to be won over but, unlike the battle to get the car buying public to consider battery electric cars as a viable alternative, the battle to convince buyers and governments that Hydrogen is a viable alternative to ICE cars is one worth fighting.
So Hyundai are out on the European Hydrogen Road Tour – part of the “H2moves Scandinavia” project – with other hydrogen car makers and interested parties to do the whole ‘Mind and Heart Winning’ thing around Europe.
This week, the European Hydrogen Road Tour tipped up in the UK to show politicians, industry leaders, the media and the public just how good FCEVs can be. They’ve had a jolly down to Bristol and Swindon – where a hydrogen infrastructure already exists – and are now in London.
Today (Friday 5th) the Hydrogen Tour hits London – at Concert Hall Approach, near Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank – where there will be much hydrogen goodness on display and the chance to drive the Hyundai ix35 FCEV.
Today it’s only media getting behind the wheel, but tomorrow (Saturday 6th) Hyundai are offering the public the chance to get behind the wheel of the ix35 FCEV to help get the message across that hydrogen powered cars really are a completely viable alternative to those powered by fossil fuel.
Hyundai boss, Tony Whitehorn, said:
Hyundai is committed to being the industry leader in eco-friendly mobility. We have previously given ix35 Fuel Cell vehicles to the European Parliament to use for test-drives, and we have also taken part in numerous zero-emission events and tests across the continent, proving their practicality, safety and usability. The European Hydrogen Road Tour now enables us to give the public a great opportunity to test these incredible cars, which we believe can help create a society with a sustainable energy supply and zero-emission mobility.
What he means is “Come and drive the ix35 FCEV. It feels exactly like a petrol or diesel to drive and you can refuel it just as easily. But there are no nasties coming out of the exhaust pipe – just water. It’s a no-brainer”.
So if you want to drive the ix35, get down to the South Bank tomorrow between 10 am and 6 pm, flash your license and sign a disclaimer and you’ve got a decent chance of playing with a car that – if politicians have any sense – is the future of mass motoring.
Oblivious says
So the future is electric cars after all? Aren’t Cars UK anti EVs?
Cars UK says
No, we’re not against electric cars. We do think that promoting BEVs as the future is like calling B&W Cathode Ray TVs the future and charging twice the price of a new flat screen colour TV.
But hydrogen powered EVs have all the benefits of BEVs – quiet running, lots of torque and no emissions at point of use – but can still be refuelled in a convenient and conventional fashion.
Oblivious says
So that means no more nice petrol engines if Hydrogen is the future? No more V8s and V10S? Sounds like a sad world.
Cars UK says
No, no, no. The arrival of Fuel Cell EVs won’t mean the end of ICE engines, although we may well end up driving hydrogen-powered EVs as a daily runaround and keep the nice V8s, V10s and V12s (and W12s too) for high days and holidays.
And it should also be possible to manufacture ‘Hydrogen Petrol‘ before too long to fuel our beloved ICE cars. Then you’ll have the best of all worlds.