Hyundai plans to launch its hydrogen-powered cars as early as 2014 and the company may reveal details of the planned Tucson SUV running on hydrogen fuel cell at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
News of hydrogen cars have been doing the rounds for many years and it seems that the wait for many customers will be over if the South Korean automaker starts mass production of its hydrogen-powered Tucson SUV soon.
Several car makers such as Hyundai, Honda and Toyota have been focusing on electric and hybrid cars. However, it seems that some carmakers are also thinking a step ahead with the research going on for hydrogen cars as well.
In 2003, President George W. Bush allocated $1.2 billion for hydrogen car research; however, the program was scrapped by the Obama administration, which focused more on electric and hybrid cars.
However, it seems that Hyundai is still focusing on hydrogen cars and may beat Honda and Toyota with the launch of its Tucson SUV powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Hyundai is planning to start selling the hydrogen cars in Southern California first and then reach other areas once filling stations are built.
The Korean car maker claims that it has already surmounted safety and storage issues with a rear-mounted tank that has also passed numerous crash tests without incident. The California Air Resources Board said that there are currently nine filling stations open to the public in the state and authorities have also allocated around $100 million, or $20 million a year, to build 100 more filling stations.
Even if Hyundai launches a hydrogen car soon, Honda, Toyota, and more, may soon catch up in the race.
Hydrogen-powered cars are important to the environment as they will not emit any pollution but just water vapor. Even though hydrogen cars may be environment-friendly and cheap, the running cost is high and may deter car buyers from buying a hydrogen fuel car.
