Hyundai hedges bets on hydrogen with new Nexo

• New Hyundai Nexo revealed
• SUV is a new breed of hydrogen car
• 434-mile range and five-minute charge time
• Replaces outgoing Nexo

Hyundai is readying to launch an all-new Nexo SUV as it hedges its bets on a hydrogen-fuelled future.

The Nexo is nothing new. It’s a hydrogen fuel cell SUV first launched in the UK way back in 2019. But it’s fair to say the Nexo never really caught on, with sales throttled by the UK’s limited hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.

Yet Hyundai is refusing to kill the Nexo - and it’s giving the vehicle a new lease of life later this year with a brand new model.

First thing’s first - what’s a hydrogen vehicle all about anyway? You can essentially think of it like a different type of electric vehicle. Hydrogen mixes with oxygen in the car’s fuel tank and those elements combine to create a flow of electrons that power an electric drive motor while also charging a battery.

When hydrogen and oxygen meet, the ‘reverse electrolysis’ reaction produces nothing but harmless water vapour, rather than any other nasty emissions.

And while even the fastest-charging EVs need around 20 mins to take the battery from 10-80%, a full refuel of a hydrogen car takes just five minutes.

Hyundai made its intentions clear back in January last year that it thought hydrogen has a big part to play in the future - and the new Nexo sees them making good on their promise.

The updated Nexo is equipped with an 80 kW battery and 162.6 litre hydrogen fuel tank. They combine to develop 203 PS of power and 350 Nm of torque. The Nexo is relatively sprightly, accelerating from 0-62 mph in 7.8 seconds.

But the big thing to note is the range - up to 434 miles on a full tank, which is about on a par with the fully-electric Tesla Model 3 Long Range RWD.

Hyundai says the Nexo is the first FCEV (fuel cell electric vehicle) to offer towing capacity - which is up to 1,000 kg.

The Nexo’s styling is very much Hyundai and it shares the same design language as the revamped Santa Fe SUV.

The cabin gets an island-type centre console, twin 12.3-inch screens, premium soft materials, and a massive 993-litre boot - big enough to accommodate up to four golf bags.

You also get a dedicated ‘Route Planner’ which helps drivers navigate to the nearest charging station when fuel runs low.

Which brings us to the fly in the ointment when talking about hydrogen vehicles. There are currently just a handful of refuelling stations in the UK - around 15 locations, around half of them actually open to the general public.

So if the Nexo is to have any chance of success, the number of charging stations needs to increase radically.

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