Currently reading: Hyundai hypes hydrogen

Korean firm says fuel-cells are the future; hydrogen concept ready for Frankfurt

Hyundai’s putting its money on hydrogen as the fuel of the future. This i-Blue electric concept is the first car that the Korean firm has designed to incorporate fuel-cell technology "from the ground up."The i-Blue, to be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show later in September, uses Hyundai’s third-generation experimental fuel-cell technology, being developed at the firm’s Eco-Technology Research Institute in Korea. The plan is for the technology to be production-ready within a decade."The i-Blue marks a tremendous leap forward for our R&D program," said Dr Hyun-Soon Lee, president of research and development for Hyundai. "Our engineering team has designed a more compact fuel cell vehicle, while still realising the safety, comfort, convenience and driving range of a traditional internal combustion engine vehicle."Like the HED-2 Genus concept revealed at Geneva in 2006, the i-Blue is a crossover – part SUV, part estate car – but with the exception of the Arnejs, which became the i30, Hyundai's concepts are rarely realised, so don't expect a production version anytime soon.

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