RELEASED ON 04/02/13 (DD/MM/YY)

The zero-emission Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell has been awarded the prestigious FuturAuto award at this year’s Brussels Motor Show.

The ix35 Fuel Cell is the first mass-produced, hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicle commercially available.

The award, in its 12th year, celebrates technological innovation in the automotive industry and is selected by a respected panel of journalists from the Belgian Automotive Press Union.

Hyundai Motor Europe senior vice-president Allan Rushforth said the company believed hydrogen was the fuel of the future.

‘‘It demonstrates the same benefits in terms of range and refuelling as an internal combustion-powered vehicle, but emits no harmful emissions, only water,’’ Mr Rushforth said.

‘‘Hyundai will continue to invest in the promotion of hydrogen and the growing refuelling infrastructure, to help create a society with sustainable energy supply and zero-emission road transportation.’’

Series production of Hyundai’s ix35 Fuel Cell vehicle will start at the company’s Ulsan manufacturing plant in Korea this month, making Hyundai the first automaker to begin commercial production of a hydrogen-powered vehicle.

Hyundai plans to manufacture 1000 units of the hydrogen-powered ix35 Fuel Cell vehicles by 2015, targeted predominantly at public sector and private fleets.

Hyundai has already signed contracts to lease the ix35 Fuel Cell to municipal fleets in Denmark and Sweden.

Hyundai’s third-generation fuel-cell vehicle, based on the ix35 compact SUV, is equipped with a 100 kW fuel cell stack and two hydrogen storage tanks, with a total capacity of 564 kg. This amount of stored hydrogen allows the ix35 Fuel Cell to travel 588 km on a single refuel. Maximum speed is 160 km/h, and it can reliably start in temperatures as low as -25°C. The energy developed is stored in a 24 kW lithium-polymer battery.

SOURCE Country News through Factiva News