Hyundai launches i-Blue FCEV concept at Frankfurt
T he i-Blue Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) from Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) made its world debut at the 62nd International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany in September.
Developed at the Korean automaker's Design and Technical Center in Chiba, Japan the concept is the designers' view of a future FCEV production model. The hydrogenpowered, zero-emission platform is tailored to incorporate Hyundai's pressurized thirdgeneration fuel cell technology, currently being developed at the company's Eco-Technology Research Institute in Mabuk, Korea. Previous Hyundai FCVs used ambient air pressure fuel cell systems developed and supplied by US-based UTC Power.
Unlike its predecessors, which were built on sport utility vehicle (SUV) platforms, the i-Blue features a new D-segment 2+2 cross-over utility vehicle (CUV) body-type. Hyundai says that this marks a step ahead on the path to develop mass-production models, as the fuel cell system is more difficult to integrate in a smaller body-type.
The i-Blue is powered by a 100 kW electrical engine and PEM fuel cell stack. Fueled by compressed hydrogen, stored at 700 bar in a 115 liter tank, it is capable of traveling more than 600 km (370 miles) before it needs to be refueled, and achieves a maximum speed of 165 km/h (102 mph).
The stack is housed under the vehicle's floor -not in the engine compartment, as in the second-generation Tucson FCEV. This endows the car with an ideal 50:50 weight distribution for optimal driving and handling dynamics. It also means that the engine compartment is less densely populated, providing better air flow and cooling.
In a subsequent Reuters report, Hyundai says that it plans to begin mass production of its fuel cell car model from as early as 2012. 'We will start mass production of a fuel cell model, like the i-Blue, from 2012 at the earliest, or from 2015 at the latest,' a Hyundai official said, asking not to be identified. He declined to provide price details, sales targets or development costs.