The Hyundai Nexo could go on to become the first hydrogen fuel cell-powered car in the Indian market, if launched in the country this year
The Hyundai Nexo is a hydrogen fuel cell-powered crossover SUV that emits water from its tailpipe. While hydrogen-powered cars are still a thing of the future, at least in developing countries. However, Hyundai is now considering bringing the Nexo FCEV to the Indian market this year.
Hyundai India recently received approval to import the hydrogen-powered Nexo. As per an RTO document, the government has approved the registration of the SUV in India, and Hyundai can now begin testing it.
The Hyundai Nexo, like all other hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars, uses hydrogen to provide electricity to its electric motor. This motor puts out 161 PS of power and 395 Nm of torque. With a refuelling time as low as 5 mins, as well as a WLTP claimed range of 666 km, the NEXO FCEV proves that hydrogen-powered cars are eco-friendly, and yet are still practical.
However, the introduction of Nexo FCEV does not mean that Hyundai will not be focussing on electric vehicles for the country. Hydrogen-powered vehicles are actually less efficient than EVs since hydrogen doesn’t occur naturally, it has to be extracted, then compressed in fuel tanks. Then it has to mix with oxygen in a fuel cell stack to create electricity to power the car’s motor(s).
This leads to a loss in efficiency in between the process. In the case of electric vehicles, the electricity comes straight from the battery pack. Hence, hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars cannot replace EVs. Nonetheless, the Nexo FCEV could help Hyundai broaden its line-up to include more environment-friendly vehicles.
The foreign-spec Nexo FCEV has also been equipped with an advanced air purification system that removes PM 2.5 fine particulate matters from the air. Moreover, the car cleans the air around it as it drives. Hyundai claims that a single Nexo driving on the road for an hour could purify 26.9 kg of air, which is about the same amount of air that 42 adults breathe in that particular time span.