Hyundai has announced that the ix35 Fuel Cell now holds the record for the longest journey completed by a hydrogen-powered production car.
Hyundai took their ix35 Fuel Cell which is the world’s first mass-produced hydrogen car on a three country. The journey took no less than ten hours and the vehicle was driven from Oslo, Norway to Malmö, Sweden via Gothenburg, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark, covering a distance of 700 km (435 miles) on a single tank of hydrogen.
Non-profit eco-pioneer Marius Bornstein who drove the car, said: “We had planned to finish in Copenhagen, but realised there was enough hydrogen left in the tank for a longer drive. When we arrived at the filling station in Malmö we still had a few kilometres of range remaining. To achieve this distance on just one tank of hydrogen shows the potential of this technology and the ability of the Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell. I believe this is a world record.”
The Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell was driven at an average speed of 76 km/h (47 mph. At the end of the journey, the trip computer still showed almost 10 km (6 miles) of range. The car driven was a production-spec ix35 without any modifications that could have improved its range. The Hyundai ix35 managed to exceed the official 594 km (369 miles) stated by Hyundai.
Frank Meijer, Head of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle at Hyundai Motor Europe, commented: “The distance travelled by the ix35 Fuel Cell demonstrates the viability and real-world benefits of hydrogen fuel cell technology – it’s an electric vehicle with long-distance range. Hyundai Motor is the first automaker to mass-produce fuel cell vehicles, and we continue to promote the growth of Europe’s hydrogen refuelling network.”