Hydrogen-powered cars are a less popular environmentally friendly transportation alternative. But Hyundai hopes to solve this problem with greater investment in technology and its latest hydrogen-fueled concept SUV called Inisium.
Hyundai has announced plans to start producing hydrogen SUVs in the first half of next year. The Initium can travel approximately 404 miles on a single fill-up, and can also run on back-up electricity that can be charged from a household power source. The vehicle will be unveiled to the public at the LA Auto Show and Guangzhou Motor Show in China next month. It has not yet been confirmed where these cars will be available at launch, so US availability is not guaranteed.
The Inisium may be just a concept car for now, but Hyundai is committed to bringing the latest hydrogen vehicles to drivers quickly, even if the fuel source isn’t on the path to widespread acceptance as electric options. It seems there is. The South Korean automaker plans to invest $4 billion in developing hydrogen vehicle technology and infrastructure to reach full carbon neutrality goals by 2045 with cars such as the Inisium and electric Ioniq 5 unveiled last year. .
Hydrogen may be an efficient alternative to gasoline, but it still has a long way to go to compete with electric cars (assuming gas-powered cars remain popular). According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are only 59 hydrogen charging stations in the United States, most of them in California. Only a handful of automakers still offer hydrogen fuel options, including Hyundai (Nexo SUV) and Toyota (Mirari). Honda once offered a hydrogen car with The Clarity, but ended production in 2021, according to Car & Driver.
