The hydrogen SUV from Hyundai was due to begin an entirely new generation in 2023
The development of the fuel cell reportedly ran into issues
Despite having suspended an upcoming hydrogen-powered Genesis model, Hyundai still believes in the technology
Hyundai said it will have to delay the introduction of the next-generation Nexo to 2024 due to problems encountered during the development of its hydrogen fuel cell.
The Hyundai Nexo is one of only two hydrogen fuel cell vehicles offered in Canada, the other one being the Toyota Mirai.
According to the automaker’s normal product cycle, the Nexo was due to enter its second generation in 2023 but it now appears that the first-generation model that was introduced in 2018 will stay on the market for an additional year.
The automaker hasn’t specified which problems are the cause of this delay and very few details are known about the next-gen Nexo as of now, but this at least confirms that it will not reuse the same fuel cell as the current model.
This could mean the new version will have a longer range than the 611 kilometres offered by the 2022 Nexo, according to the EPA.
Hydrogen-powered vehicles are very rare because the cost to install hydrogen filling stations is prohibitively expensive, which is why in the United States, the Nexo is only offered in California, where the support infrastructure is better developed.
Despite their lack of popularity and the sales boom of battery electric vehicles, Hyundai seems intent to continue developing fuel cell vehicles as an alternative.
Indeed, the automaker announced its plans to offer a hydrogen-powered version of all of the commercial vehicles it sells in Asia and Europe.
However, the Hyundai Group recently put a project for a Genesis branded fuel cell vehicle on indefinite hold, so this might indicate that the automaker’s hydrogen technology will be exclusive to its heavy-duty vehicles in a few years.
