HYUNDAI MOTOR TAKES NEXT STEP WITH PARIS' FUEL CELL TAXI FLEET

November 14, 2016 by Hyundai

◾Hyundai Motor and the Paris-based electric taxi start-up STEP sign a memorandum of understanding about the handover of 60 additional Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell cars

◾The new ix35 Fuel Cell cars are replacing fossil fuel powered taxis to reduce emissions

◾The Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell is the world's first mass-produced and commercially available fuel cell electric vehicle and can drive up to 594 kilometres on a full tank

November 10, 2016 – Hyundai Motor will hand over 60 ix35 Fuel Cell cars to the Paris-based electric taxi start-up STEP (Société du Taxi Electrique Parisien). Today a memorandum of understanding was signed at the opening of a public hydrogen fuel station operated by Air Liquide at Hyundai Motor's European headquarters in Offenbach, Germany. The world's largest fuel cell taxi fleet 'hype' (Hydrogen Powered Electric) currently serves the Greater Paris Area with five ix35 Fuel Cell cars that Hyundai Motor delivered in December 2015. The fleet is planned to increase up to several hundred vehicles within five years.

'With the memorandum of today, STEP and Hyundai Motor have committed to bring 60 additional ix35 Fuel Cell taxis to the streets of Paris,' says Thomas A. Schmid, Chief Operating Officer at Hyundai Motor Europe. 'Not only will the fuel cell taxis provide a clean transportation solution for the city, they are also a practical, comfortable and reliable choice for drivers and passengers.'

Saving more than 800 tons of emissions

The 60 new ix35 Fuel Cell vehicles will not add to the 17,000 taxis already in circulation in and around Paris. They are replacing petrol and diesel-powered cars. Compared to a diesel-powered taxi with CO2 emissions of 135 gram per kilometre and an annual mileage of 100,000 kilometres, the ix35 Fuel Cell vehicles will save more than 800 tonnes of CO2 per year in exhaust emissions. That is the equivalent of one person taking the plane and flying more than 200 times from Frankfurt to New York and back. In contrast to this, the only emissions from the tailpipe of the ix35 Fuel Cell during driving are water vapour.

Even when it is produced from natural gas, hydrogen is a far cleaner energy than any fossil fuel: for equal distance traveled, hydrogen cars reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% compared with internal combustion vehicles and do not produce any fine particles.

Up to 594 kilometres on a tank of hydrogen

The ix35 Fuel Cell is the world's first mass-produced and commercially available fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). Currently there are more than 300 Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell cars on European roads in 12 countries. That is more than all the FCEVs of other manufacturers combined. Its powerful asynchronous electric motor generates 100 kW (136 PS), and with a maximum torque of 300 Nm it delivers a fun-to-drive experience. Thanks to its efficiency, the ix35 Fuel Cell's range is up to 594 kilometres on a full tank.

Hydrogen Mobility Europe

The ix35 Fuel Cell deployed are partially funded by the Hydrogen Mobility Europe Project. Hydrogen Mobility Europe is funded by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), a public private partnership supporting research, technological development and demonstration activities in fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies in Europe.

About Hyundai Motor Europe

In 2015, Hyundai Motor achieved registrations of 470,130 vehicles in Europe – an increase of 10.9% compared to 2014 – and replaced 80% of its model line-up to create the youngest car range in Europe. 90% of the vehicles Hyundai sold in the region are models designed, engineered, tested and built in Europe to meet the needs of European customers, served by the company's extensive European infrastructure. This includes two factories in the Czech Republic and Turkey, which have a combined annual capacity of 500,000 units. Hyundai Motor sells cars in 31 European countries through 2,500 outlets.

Hyundai Motor offers its unique Five Year Unlimited Mileage Warranty package with all new cars sold in the region, providing customers with a five-year warranty with no mileage limit, five years of roadside assistance and five years of vehicle health checks.

More information about Hyundai Motor Europe and its products is available at www.hyundai.news/eu.

Follow Hyundai Motor Europe on Twitter @HyundaiEurope and Instagram @hyundainews

About Hyundai Motor

Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is committed to becoming a lifetime partner in automobiles and beyond. The company leads the Hyundai Motor Group, an innovative business structure capable of circulating resources from molten iron to finished cars. Hyundai Motor has eight manufacturing bases and seven design & technical centers worldwide and in 2015 sold 4.96 million vehicles globally. With more than 110,000 employees worldwide, Hyundai Motor continues to enhance its product line-up with localized models and strives to strengthen its leadership in clean technology, starting with the world's first mass-produced hydrogen-powered vehicle, ix35 Fuel Cell and IONIQ, the world's first model with three electrified powertrains in a single body type.

About Hydrogen Mobility Europe

This project has received funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 700350. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, Hydrogen Europe and the New European Research Grouping on Fuel Cells and Hydrogen ('N.ERGHY')

More information about Hydrogen Mobility Europe can be found at:

http://h2me.eu/

About Hyundai Motor UK

Hyundai has sold vehicles in the UK since 1982. In 2005, Hyundai opened its own UK subsidiary, Hyundai Motor UK Ltd, based in High Wycombe. Since 2008, the company has risen from 21st to one of the top 10 car manufacturers in the UK and last year sold a record 88,257 vehicles. Hyundai Motor UK employs more than 3,000 people through its UK operations and dealer network. Hyundai offers a full range of vehicles from the award-winning New Generation i10 city car through to the capable Santa Fe SUV and iLoad LCV. All passenger cars come with Hyundai's industry-leading 5 Year Unlimited Mileage Warranty package. Further information about Hyundai and its products is available at www.hyundai.co.uk.

Photo credit: Hyundai
posted on conceptcarz.com