Fuelling the Nexo generation
IT IS fair to assume that most British motorists probably don’t think too much about hydrogen when it comes to their cars. And rightly so too. Despite the demonisation of diesel fuel and all its publicity, alternatively powered cars – primarily petrol-electric hybrids in all their forms – still only represent less than six per cent of UK new car sales.
Even with 17,000 charging points for electric cars in the UK, it is still not yet enough for acceptance among the motoring mainstream.
With that in mind, it is hardly surprising that the idea of hydrogen fuel-cell cars, such as the Hyundai Nexo, are going to have a pretty minimal appeal.
When it goes on sale in February next year, the Nexo will be one of only two hydrogen powered cars – the other being the Toyota Mirai – commercially available for UK drivers. That comes as no shock when you consider that there are just 12 hydrogen filling stations in the UK.
When you think that electric cars have struggled to get a foothold – with those 17,000 charging points and hydrogen stations barely making it into double figures – it is a wonder they can find any customers at all.
And that might have you rightly wondering just why Hyundai is bothering at all?
The reasons are multiple. Other European markets have more hydrogen filling stations than us and have bigger plans to expand their respective networks, while the act of refuelling itself is far closer to what we do now with our current cars. Filling up this Nexo with hydrogen from empty takes just five minutes and will give you a 413-mile range. The equivalent action for a fully electric car would take hours. So while electric cars are our immediate future, ultimately, hydrogen fuel-cell cars are likely to be the longer term solution – or at least one of them.
Hyundai is further ahead than most with the technology too. The Korean firm has produced 1,000 ix35 fuel-cell cars since 2013, so this Nexo is its second generation. And it is a good-looking one too.
Producing it as a crossover – as opposed to a four-door saloon as with the Mirai – is a smart move from Hyundai, too, given their popularity.
There are some familiar Hyundai styling cues but there is also a striking LED light bar right across the front of the car between the headlights that is sure to be a design signature we will see more of with future Hyundai models.
There are also flush door handles similar to the Range Rover Velar and Jaguar’s new I-Pace and lots of clever aerodynamic touches, too, such as a hollow C-pillar (the bit between the rear doors and tailgate) and air curtains around
the wheels. Under the skin is a 120kW fuel cell producing the equivalent of 163bhp – enough to give the Nexo a 0 to 60mph time of 9.2 seconds and on to a 111mph top speed. On the road, it delivers the same feel and immediate acceleration as a normal electric car.
Like Hyundai’s new Kona EV, the Nexo is a heavy car, which you can definitely feel on the road. But at the same time it handles that payload well with a good ride quality and little road or wind noise. The only slight issue is with the electric power steering which at best lacks any feel and at worst can feel really odd on occasion.
Again, like the Kona, you can adapt the level of regenerative braking via the paddles behind the steering wheel depending on your road and traffic conditions.
Another neat touch with the Nexo is its blind-spot view monitor. While most cars will show this up as an alert of some sort in either the mirror or in front of the driver, this Nexo brings up a real-time digital picture in the instrument binnacle of what that mirror is showing. It is a very clever system and is a great demonstration of how future cars may well be able to do away with traditional door mirrors.
The rest of the interior is pretty smart too. And while some may not like the raised central section with its storage underneath, we think it works really well.
The Nexo even backs up its green credentials with the fact that 11 per cent of it is made from sustainable eco materials.
On a more practical note, there is a generous amount of head and legroom in the back and a decent 461-litre boot.
The reality is the Nexo is so far ahead of its time that without a decent refuelling infrastructure in place this can only be a business purchase at best – and even then still a fairly niche one.
However, the future needs to start somewhere and this is the best view of it we’ve seen so far.
British drivers might not be thinking too much about their motoring futures at the moment but if it looks anything like this Hyundai Nexo, then they will be very happy indeed.