Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell actually costs £67,965

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Hyundai has revealed that their hydrogen fuel cell ix35 SUV has a retail price of £67,965, but thanks to funding from the HyFive Project you can buy one for £53,105.

We all know early adopters pay through the nose for technology, and that’s demonstrated very clearly by the list price for the Hyundai ix35 FCEV – a not inconsiderable £67,965.

But the pain of paying a premium of almost £50,000 for the joy of having just water coming from your exhaust pipe can be mitigated, slightly, thanks to the HyFive Project, a European project aiming to put 110 FCEVs on the roads in Europe – and add three more hydrogen refuelling stations in the London area – which will subsidise the purchase of an ix35 FCEV so you’ll actually pay £53,105.

For your more than 50 large you’ll be getting the world’s first mass produced FCEV, which uses its hydrogen fuel cell to generate electricity to power the modest 134bhp electric motor. With a range of 369 miles and the sort of performance you’d expect from a 134bhp ICE compact SUV, the hydrogen ix35 is, in many ways, unremarkable.

But the fact the hydrogen ix35 is unremarkable to look at or drive is really the achievement; this generation of Fuel Cells is the fourth generation from Hyundai with a driving range improved by 50 per cent and efficiency by 15 per cent.

Technologically, it’s a bloody marvel. Sadly, it’s not exactly affordable, even with the HyFive subsidy.