A hydrogen snapshot

Hyundai’s ix35 was the first production hydrogen fuel‑cell car to hit the UK. Richard Gooding tried the technology as part of the Korean company’s ‘A Streetcar Named Hyundai’ project in an environment to which it should be well suited: the road-based arteries of central London.

Along with a constantly-improving refuelling infrastructure both in the UK and Europe, more hydrogen-powered vehicles are appearing on our roads. While the numbers are still relatively small when compared to other alternatively-fuelled vehicles, both Hyundai and Toyota now include hydrogen‑powered cars on their price lists. As with most burgeoning developments, the technology doesn’t come cheap. The Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell is priced at £53,105 (even after a £15,000 European HyFive subsidy), while Toyota’s Mirai costs £66,000, but does qualify for the UK government’s £5,000 Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV)‑backed grant (see panel), which reduces the price to £61,000. It is the first hydrogen fuel cell car to do so.

A £6.6m government‑backed investment scheme aims to upgrade, improve, as well as build a new 12-strong hydrogen refuelling station network. With major UK cities such as London set to play a major part in the latest developments – the Mayor of London’s office wants to kick-start the development of the hydrogen infrastructure in the city and has just bought one of the first UK-bound Toyota Mirai fuel cell cars – it seemed apt that we were invited to sample Hyundai’s ix35 Fuel Cell vehicle (FCV) in the UK’s capital. 

First mass-produced fuel cell vehicle
Hyundai claims that the ix35 Fuel Cell was the first mass-produced fuel cell vehicle in the world. The Korean company has recently imported 50 more into Europe, taking the total number so far shipped in to 250 units. With the recent addition of Spain and Switzerland, its network of global fuel cell distribution countries now numbers 15, and means that Hyundai leads the market in fuel cell vehicle roll-out. Its customers are both private individuals and corporate firms, and the company says that between them, the ix35 Fuel Cell cars which are already on the roads have covered more than 1.2 million kilometres.

We covered nowhere near that distance on our silent drive (like conventional electric vehicles, fuel cell cars emit no noise) on the streets around Vauxhall and south west London. We drove the car as part of Hyundai’s innovative ‘A Streetcar Named Hyundai’ project which marked 10 years of Hyundai Motor UK. A world-first initiative, it involved driving 2,000 miles of central London’s streets as defined by the infamous cab drivers’ ‘Knowledge’. The ix35 Fuel Cell was chosen for ’Streetcar’ as it emits nothing but water, therefore making it perfect for London’s inner urban sprawl.

650,000 images, 8m MB of data
The 50-day project was mapped out with the help of Ordnance Survey and driven by journalists, well-known names from the world of sport as well as employees of Hyundai Motor UK. Over 650,000 pictures were taken to create both a single mosaic image as well as a 200.5-second time lapse film. Specially-developed software controlled the roof top box-mounted camera’s shutter which was attached to the left-hand rear wheel and used the ix35 Fuel Cell’s speed, distance travelled and angle of travel to capture the required images. One picture was taken every six to seven metres, and resulted in an estimated 650,000 images and 8m MB of data. 

The ix35 Fuel Cell was first available to selected partners in 2013 and features a 100kW (134bhp equivalent) electric motor as well as a lithium-ion polymer battery. A quoted official range of 372 miles (600km) puts it on a par with most petrol-powered vehicles. Top speed is 100mph (160km/h). Hydrogen generates electricity in the car’s proton membrane exchange fuel cell via a chemical reaction and the resulting electricity is then used to power the ix35 Fuel Cell’s electric motor mounted at the front of the car. The only emission is water vapour, which exits via the car’s tailpipe in the same way as a conventionally‑fuelled vehicle’s fuel emissions. 

Glides silently
To drive, the ix35 Fuel Cell is very similar to an electric car. The car which carried out the ‘Streetcar’ project was left-hand drive, but that was but a minor inconvenience. Just as in an electric car, it glides along the city streets silently and is just about OK for London’s width-shy roads, recapturing braking energy as it goes when the pedal is pressed. Again, as with an electric vehicle, there are no gears to muddy the waters and being based on an existing SUV, the ix35 Fuel Cell rides well and affords excellent visibility.

Four driving modes
A selection of four driving modes control the ix35 Fuel Cell driving experience. ‘Drive’ allows the fuel cell to generate electricity to power the car, while regenerative braking refills the battery’s charge as well as providing a little more get up and go. ‘Eco’ mode, as you’d expect from the name, reduces the power, air conditioning and deactivates the regenerative braking. That’s increased again in ‘Low’ mode, along with the motor’s torque. Finally, ‘Power Charge Mode’ channels some of the fuel cell’s charge to replenish the battery.

The Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell stores 5.64kg of hydrogen in two specially-made tanks in the rear of the car which have an internal volume of 144 litres. A fill-up with hydrogen costs approximately £4 per kg at current prices. while that 372-miles range puts it on a par with a petrol‑powered car, with ultimately less cost. While boot space is reduced compared to the conventionally-fuelled ix35, the fuel cell version is still eminently practical.

Among the Hyundai ix35’s first customers were Anglo-American and chemical company Air Products and the Korean manufacturer claims that although it has sold only 359 ix35 Fuel Cells worldwide, that is currently in line with the rate of infrastructure development. It’s that infrastructure that’s still the main stumbling block when it comes to all hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, not just the ix35. Range isn’t quite such an issue (the fossil fuel production of the gas could be), but with limited fuelling stations around the country, long distances have to be taken with care. However, new technological developments – which include a new electric compressor designed by UK company Aristech – could double the output of a hydrogen fuel cell.

Further Information
www.astreetcarnamedhyundai.com