At the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, Hyundai is exhibiting a new FE Fuel Cell Concept, which is a Tucson-sized SUV concept that foreshadows the company’s plans to bring a fuel cell car to production.
Following Honda’s lead with the FC Clairty and Toyota with the Mirai, Hyundai intends to create a dedicated fuel cell model, rather than the ix35-based model it currently offers today.
The name FE is an acronym for ‘Future Eco,’ and compared with the current ix35 Fuel Cell, it has a fuel cell system that is 20 per cent lighter and is 10 per cent more efficient. The company says it has a range of over 800km.
The styling of the car is said to be influenced by ‘water,’ with neutral toned LED lights at the front and rear that flow into curves. The front lower grille repeats this motif and a separate LED cluster sits atop the bonnet. There are cameras in lieu of wing mirrors and a very complex shape for the rims.
Inside, a deep ocean blue is the main colour, with metallic trim inserts. An ovoid steering wheel takes pride of place ahead of a twin LED display for the instrument cluster and infotainment systems. A third LED display appears dedicated to smartphone functions and sits on the central tunnel. Hyundai’s vice chairman Woong Chul Yang said:
“Hyundai Motor has a heritage of building innovative, fuel-efficient vehicles that advance the automotive industry’s environmental progress. Our FE Fuel Cell Concept is an important evolution of our pioneering hydrogen leadership, and moves us closer to our vision for a ‘Hydrogen Society’, where transportation is clean, efficient and enhances the lives of our customers”
A production SUV using elements of this concept will launch next year with ‘Hyundai Smart Sense’ driver assist technologies currently being tested.
