Hyundai Hydrogen

The Hyundai Tuscon ix is set to premiere next year in 2013. Of all the big automakers planning to eventually release hydrogen vehicles, Hyundai is about to jump ahead of all of them, reports gas2.org

Toyota, Honda, and GM are all planning their hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) to launch in 2015. However, Hyundai will be the first to test the market, with 1,000 units actually going on sale next year.

And while some of the talk about hydrogen has been dismissive, the fact remains that all the

The price tag of the hydrogen Tucson ix will be $88,550. Undoubtedly a steep price, and with the leaps and bounds in electronic vehicle (EV) technology causing lower prices for EVs, hydrogen may have missed the market. Also, if you don’t live near one of the handful of pilot hydrogen filling stations, you are SOL my friend.

Yet for all the naysayers of hydrogen — the fuel cells are expensive and hydrogen fill up stations are not very common–  the fact remains that large amounts of major car manufactures are pursuing the technology. Hyundai has not given details about where the first 1,000 hydrogen FCEVs will ship, but it is most likely that the majority will be sent to Europe.

…hydrogen is a major emerging player in Europe, with FCEVs going beyond cars to include buses and other heavy vehicles. There are a few pilot programs in the U.S., mostly in California and New York, but hydrogen has a much more devout following in Europe.

What would you like to see in the transition off of fossil fuels? Do you think hydrogen is the future of automotive power or will EVs be the ultimate winner? Let us know in the comments.