hydrogen
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A version of the BMW X5, powered by a Toyota hydrogen fuel-cell stack, could be available as soon as 2022.
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Hydrogen fuel-cell e-bike claiming longer range, quick refueling
The French company Pragma has released a new version of its hydrogen fuel-cell e-bike, which now provides 93 miles of boosted riding per fill.
Bengt Halvorson -
Toyota Mirai gets deepest discount yet—amid hydrogen shortage
Toyota is offering a series of deals on its Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle in the San Francisco region that may sway some to consider buying rather than leasing.
Bengt Halvorson -
Hydrogen supply pinch affects San Francisco fuel-cell drivers
An explosion last weekend at a hydrogen distribution facility has temporarily shut down 9 out of 11 fueling stations
Bengt Halvorson -
Seawater could bring breakthrough for hydrogen cars
A new type of anode catalyst could help prevent salt from corroding it, making it possible to use seawater to make hydrogen for fuel cells.
Eric C. Evarts -
Is hydrogen internal combustion a better idea than fuel cells?
Although hydrogen—and hydrogen fuel cells—could still play an important role in future transportation, even many hydrogen advocates will admit that hydrogen internal combustion probably won't. It certainly wasn’t always this way. About 15 years ago there was great hope in the idea...
Bengt Halvorson -
Hyundai last week made the first U.S. delivery of its Nexo fuel-cell vehicle—to a customer in Southern California. Although the customer, Todd Hochrad, picked the Nexo up from a dealership in Van Nuys, he lives in Ventura, which could place him about equidistant from hydrogen fueling stations in Thousand Oaks and Santa Barbara. The Nexo enters the market as a niche vehicle among niche vehicles. Hyundai is limiting deliveries of this, the only SUV among hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, to Southern California, but other areas of the state will soon follow. According to the California Fuel...
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Hyundai plans to take hydrogen fuel-cell systems beyond vehicles
Hyundai sees a lot of potential in hydrogen fuel-cell technology. And it may find success with it by looking well past cars and SUVs—to other uses that could, as the company puts it, “transcend the transportation sector.” With this week’s opening of a second plant making...
Bengt Halvorson -
2019 Hyundai Nexo hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle pricing: Puzzling economics
Pricing for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, like the upcoming 2019 Hyundai Nexo, hasn’t meant all that much up until now. That’s because both of the other fuel-cell vehicles currently offered—and most of them offered to date—emphasize highly subsidized lease programs. But...
Bengt Halvorson -
2019 Hyundai Nexo: first drive of 380-mile fuel-cell crossover utility
Pretty much any story on a new vehicle these days notes that new-car buyers are snapping up utility vehicles, while traditional sedans languish on sales lots. That puts Hyundai right on trend with its latest hydrogen-powered entry, the Nexo, which it dubs a crossover utility vehicle. It succeeds...
John Voelcker -
Toyota enters $82 million partnership to roll out hydrogen trucks in Los Angeles port
After showing its second-generation fuel-cell semi-truck at the Port of Los Angeles in July, Toyota announced last week it will build 10 more fuel-cell trucks for the project. In addition to the trucks, the project will add two new heavy-duty hydrogen filling stations, two new hydrogen forklifts at...
Eric C. Evarts -
Hydrogen supply shortage leaves fuel cell cars gasping in California (Updated)
The biggest challenge to driving a fuel-cell car is finding fuel. Automakers who sell fuel-cell models—Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai for now—have made progress in getting 33 hydrogen fueling stations built around Los Angeles and San Francisco. It's not helping drivers this week though...
Eric C. Evarts -
Nine months after announcing its intention to buy 10,000 Hyundai Nexo hydrogen-fueled cars, the South Korean government has halved its order. That's according to Business Korea, which said Tuesday that a report published by the government earlier this month indicated that the government plans to purchase 5,000 Nexo vehicles over the next two years. MORE: Hyundai Nexo fuel-cell SUV verdicts: classy, zippier, still a "niche vehicle" To keep the 378-mile range Nexos moving, the South Korean government has said that it plans to subsidize construction of 130 hydrogen fueling stations by 2020...
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Budweiser-maker taps Nikola for up to 800 hydrogen-powered semi trucks
Anheuser-Busch bet big on hydrogen fuel for its semitrailer trucks Thursday. The Budweiser beermaker announced it would buy up to 800 big rigs from Nikola Motor Company by 2025 and nearly replace its entire dedicated corporate fleet with trucks powered by renewable energy. The agreement is largely...
Aaron Cole -
Nikola suggests it's no Tesla, refunds deposits on fuel-cell, electric semi trucks
Tesla's most direct competitor announced it would refund all deposits it has taken.
Eric C. Evarts -
California now has 33 hydrogen fueling stations for 4,200 fuel-cell cars so far
Hydrogen fuel first went on sale in California in January 2015, more than three years ago, though it had been dispensed free at a dozen or so prototype locations before that. Five years ago, the state set a goal of 100 hydrogen fueling stations throughout the state by 2020, a deadline that now...
John Voelcker -
Hyundai Nexo fuel-cell SUV verdicts: classy, zippier, still a "niche vehicle"
The Hyundai Nexo hydrogen fuel-cell SUV that debuted last month at the Consumer Electronics Show won't be seen on California roads for many months yet. It is expected to go on sale in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of this year, but now we have a few reports from outlets that have driven the one...
John Voelcker -
Germany's hydrogen stations exceed US; California beats Japan on density
As of today, there are 39 hydrogen fueling stations in the U.S., all but four of them in the state of California. They serve roughly 39 million Californians, whereas 284 million Americans outside the state have no access to hydrogen fuel-cell cars nor stations at which to refill them. Germany, on...
John Voelcker -
Today, there are roughly 750,000 plug-in electric vehicles on U.S. roads and about 3,800 powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Proponents of each type of vehicle argue strenuously that their powertrain is a better way to produce vehicles with zero emissions from the tailpipe. Electric cars can be charged at home overnight, and electricity in many areas is far cheaper than gasoline on a per-mile basis, say the plug-in vehicle supporters. DON'T MISS: Why a Fiat 500e driver got a Honda Clarity Fuel Cell as his next green car: low cost Ah, but hydrogen vehicles have far longer ranges, need to be fueled...
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Why a Fiat 500e driver got a Honda Clarity Fuel Cell as his next green car: low cost
When marketing executive Chris Baccus leased a 2015 Fiat 500e three years ago, he intended to keep his 2007 BMW 335i as a "fun car," and use the electric Fiat just for commuting. Within six months, he'd sold the BMW altogether. Part of his interest in the Fiat, he admitted, came from an article...
John Voelcker -
Hyundai Nexo hydrogen fuel-cell prototype drives itself 118 miles without human input
As it does in every other aspect of the auto industry, Korean carmaker Hyundai-Kia has set itself an aggressive goal and a fast pace for rollout of self-driving vehicles. The Korean carmaker has said it would offer a vehicle capable of Level 4 autonomy—meaning a car that can operate without...
John Voelcker -
Electric cars will fail, but we'll build them anyway, say global auto execs: KPMG
Juxtaposed against a growing electric-vehicle market in China and increasingly stringent global carbon-emission limits, a survey by KPMG has revealed a majority of global auto executives believe electric vehicles are a fool's errand. Those executives believe electric cars will eventually be...
Mark Stevenson -
Production Hyundai Nexo hydrogen fuel-cell SUV appears at CES
The world of cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells is still small and low-volume, but Korean maker Hyundai unveiled its production entry into that group on Monday. The sprawling Consumer Electronics Show is increasingly a showcase for advanced-technology and zero-emission vehicles, and the Korean...
John Voelcker -
California to fall short of 100 hydrogen fueling stations by 2020
As electric charging stations continue to sprout across the country, hydrogen fueling stations haven't experienced the same rapid growth. That's an issue in California, where Assembly Bill 8 stipulates a goal of 100 functioning public hydrogen stations by 2020. The latest forecast predicts the...
Mark Stevenson