The blue license plate SUVs with Hyundai emblems came into the Yeoju rest area in Gyeonggi Province. The back of the parking lot is flooded with water from the exhaust. Often there is no smell of methane from behind the SUV. Water is emitted because of the nature of the fuel cell that generates electricity in the process of combining hydrogen in the vehicle and oxygen in the air. Instead of soot, it emits water. The car is Nexo, a hydrogen-fueled electric car, which Hyundai has succeeded in driving for the first time in the world`s four-speed freeway. An official of Hyundai Motor said, "If 10,000 pieces of Nexo are supplied, 600,000 trees will be planted and the effect of eliminating fine dust of 20,000 vehicles will be expected."

Hyundai, on February 5, opened its hydrogen electrification test. The test section is 250 km from the Gyeonggi-do, where Hyundai Motor studios are located, to the Medal House in Pyeongchang, where the Olympic Winter Games are held. 120 km from Goyang Studio to Yeoju rest stop, 60 km from Hoengseong rest stop at Yeoju resting place, and 60 km from Hoengseong resting place to Pyeongchang medal house.

The start of driving is not much different from a regular electric car. There is no noise. There is no transmission. Like the Hyundai Ionic Electric, the button-type transmission was applied. A car without a transmission is unfamiliar. At the transmission, buttons for in-vehicle convenience devices such as an infotainment system and a temperature controller, which were located in the existing center fascia, were placed.

Meanwhile, the driver`s cab displays the distance traveled on the left and the speed on the right. You can also see information about driving information and fuel economy linked with navigation. When you turn on the turn signal light while driving, the camera shows the situation behind the lane change.

When driver press the accelerator pedal, it strikes. The momentary acceleration like the electric car was not as expected. There is no engine noise, so driving noise tickles the ear as it is. The single-charge mileage is 609 km. The former Tucson hydrogen electric vehicle (415 km) increased by 40%. It is the world`s longest electric car. Hyundai set the stage for the presidency of the World Hydrogen Commission, where Toyota and others participated.

The combined fuel cost of Nexo is 96.2km (17in. Tire) per 1kg of hydrogen. Driver can charge up to 6.33 kg of hydrogen at a time. Considering that the average price of hydrogen per kilogram is currently 10,000 won, it is a little cheaper than gasoline and slightly more expensive than diesel. It is expected that prices will drop further if hydrogen filling stations are increased and support for transportation systems is achieved.

The NEXOS, on the other hand, is equipped with advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that incorporates Hyundai`s advanced technology. `Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA)`, which automatically supports parking and departure for the first time in Hyundai, is a technology that is enhanced for use on motorways and public roads as well as highways and `LFA maintenance` and so on.

Hyundai`s first SUV was the first in 2013 among the hydrogen-fueled electric vehicles. Toyota has introduced a sedan hydrogen electric car Mirai, and Honda has also introduced the Clariety, but still only Hyundai owns hydrogen SUVs. Hyundai has secured a space of 839 liters based on the American Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) based on the application of three tank systems and the optimal disposition of the drawback that the space for loading is reduced due to the nature of the car loaded with the hydrogen tank. It is wider than Tucson (TL 796 liters) and the previous-generation Tucson hydrogen car (675 liters), which are currently in production.


By mj@ Kim Yang Hyuk


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