(Johannesburg, South Africa) At the IAA 2007, which opens in Frankfurt on Sept 13, Hyundai Motor Co. will unveil the i-Blue Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle. This concept vehicle demonstrates the company’s strengthening commitment to the development of environmentally responsible transportation.
i-Blue
Hyundai’s new hydrogen-powered, zero-emission concept, the i-Blue Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) was developed at Hyundai’s Design and Technical Center in Chiba, Japan. The all-new i-Blue platform is tailored to incorporate Hyundai’s third-generation fuel cell technology, currently being developed at Hyundai’s Eco-Technology Research Institute in Mabuk, Korea.
In keeping with this year’s show theme, “See What’s Driving the Future,” which focuses on sustainability and climate protection, the i-Blue demonstrates a significant step towards commercialization of Hyundai fuel cell vehicles. Unlike its predecessors which were built on SUV platforms, the i-Blue features a new D-segment 2+2 crossover utility vehicle (CUV) body type.
“The i-Blue is Hyundai’s first-ever model designed from the ground up to incorporate fuel cell technology, marking a tremendous leap forward for our R&D program,” said Dr. Hyun-Soon Lee, President of Research and Development. “Our engineering team has successfully designed a more compact fuel cell vehicle, while still realizing the safety, comfort, convenience and driving range of a traditional internal combustion engine vehicle.”
Hyundai is making tremendous efforts to reach mass production of hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles a reality in the next decade.
