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Sparking Interest: the Hyundai ix35 FCEV
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There's just a week to go before the start of EcoVelocity 2011, an event modestly billed on its own website as "not your usual motor show". If you head to London's Battersea Power Station next week, it probably won't be a new Porsche firing your imagination but the Hyundai ix35 FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle).
This will be the UK debut of a car that represents Hyundai's third generation of FCEV. Passenger rides in the Hyundai ix35 FCEV will be on offer. So if you've got a Twitter account and a yearning to experience "future travel", a ride in this hydrogen-powered car might be a good way to attract more followers.
Hyundai claims that this futuristic vehicle offers the same convenience as traditional internal combustion engines. If range anxiety keeps you awake at night, you'll want to know that the Hyundai ix35 FCEV has a driving range of 360 miles (580km, if you prefer). It offers a maximum speed of 100mph and the zero-to-62mph time is 12.8 seconds.
The fuel cell stack of the ix35 FCEV is capable of operating at temperatures as low as -25 degrees Celsius. More important, owners can cruise around secure in the knowledge that the only emissions they'll be inflicting on the environment are water vapour.
But where does the Hyundai ix35 FCEV go after you've enjoyed a few laps of the track in SW11? Well, it's all part of the company's move towards the commercialisation of FCEV. Earlier in 2011 it signed a memorandum of understanding to run test fleets of FCEVs. Already there have been test drives in Korea and Copenhagen.
According to Tony Whitehorn of Hyundai UK: "The ultimate goal would be to see zero-emission vehicles on UK roads within the next few years; however, the market and local infrastructure will be the real determinant of this.”
Reading between the lines, it sounds as though zero-emission is still a long way away from being a reality. But if you want a green-themed and fun day out with the kids, a low-carbon motor festival in Battersea is just around the corner.
