Managing Director – Bridge Classic Cars
As much as electric cars have gained in popularity in recent years, a key issue that has put some people off from making the switch over is their long charge times. Hyundai has come up with the next generation of more environmentally-friendly hydrogen-powered cars in the form of the new Hyundai Nexo.
Technically, the Nexo is an electric car. However, what makes it different to other electric vehicles is that it has an onboard fuel cell generating its power, rather than a big battery pack.
Using Hydrogen to feed the fuel cell means that you can completely fill the tank of the Nexo in around 5 minutes. This is substantially quicker than you can fully charge standard electric cars. What is potentially even more impressive is that, after a Hydrogen refill, you can expect a range of over 400 miles before you’ll need to top-up again.
When it comes to the Nexo’s environmental impact, you can drive knowing that you are keeping your emissions as low as possible. Hydrogen-powered cars, like the Nexo, produce emissions in the form of purified air and water. This is obviously much more environmentally friendly than petrol or diesel-powered vehicles.
What’s Different About The Hyundai Nexo?
There have been hydrogen-powered systems before but Hyundai has engineered the one used in the Nexo to make sure interior space isn’t sacrificed for the sake of powering the car. It does seem that the brand has been pretty successful in this too. The boot of the Nexo isn’t too far away from that of a petrol or diesel-powered SUV and there is a decent amount of space for passengers in the back of the car as well.
As the fuel cell and everything that goes with it have been so efficiently built into the Nexo, it has enough space to be used as a practical family car which is important considering its price.
The Price
Hyundai is expecting to sell the Nexo in large quantities. While this seems like an obvious thing to say, the price tag of a little under £70 000 might be too much for the vast majority of motorists to afford.
Is This The Future Of Motoring?
The Nexo certainly seems to have the potential for laying the foundations for the future of the motor industry. A practical car that drives well, has plenty of space and produces zero emissions does tick a lot of boxes of what a future-proof car looks like.
However, the cost, the low number of hydrogen filling stations, and the current popularity of electric cars could make it a challenge for hydrogen-powered cars like this to completely take over.
