Opportunities To Build Hydrogen Cars, Hyundai: More Suitable For Large Vehicles

Hyundai N Vision 74. (Doc. Hyundai)

JAKARTA - Electric battery-powered vehicles are increasingly in demand by various groups, because they are able to produce environmentally friendly mobility with zero emissions. However, electric power is not the only solution to reduce carbon emissions. Currently, hydrogen technology is becoming a hot topic of conversation among industry. Toyota and BMW are the pioneers in developing this technology, and now Hyundai is also paying attention to it.

Hyundai believes in the potential for hydrogen, especially for the cars and trucks they will produce. However, they realized that the journey towards hydrogen use would not be easy.

Michael Cole, CEO of Hyundai Europe, stressed their commitment to developing new technologies, although admitting that its development requires a lot of money.

"With the limited infrastructure, it is not easy to make large-scale sales. The cost of technology and the availability of green hydrogen today make it difficult to develop with significant volumes," Cole said as quoted by Top Gear on Monday, June 19.

Hyundai focuses on developing fuel cells for trucks used in heavy tasks. Cole also added that by 2035, it is expected that there will be more battery and hydrogen charging points available.

"So, infrastructure will get better, the availability of green hydrogen will increase, and of course we need to work to reduce technology costs," said Cole.

Cole also made it clear that cars of large size are likely to use hydrogen as a power source, while small cars will use electric batteries.

"These two technologies will coexist. They complement each other. We don't see it as an option between one another," he added.

Hyundai has introduced the N Vision 74 concept as an example of a hydrogen-powered car. This car is equipped with a hydrogen tank with a capacity of 4.2 kg and a 62.4 kWh battery, which is claimed to be capable of reaching a distance of 600 km.

In terms of performance, N Vision 74 is equipped with an electric motor at the back, with a power of 680 dk, a peak torque of 900 Nm, and a maximum speed of over 250 km/hour.