Next-Gen Hyundai Fuel Cell Vehicle Coming in 2018

Hyundai says it will have a second-generation fuel cell electric vehicle, or FCEV, ready for the road in time for the 2018 Winter Olympics, being held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The new FCEV would be part of an electrified vehicle offensive that will see Hyundai and sister brand Kia launch a range of hybrid, electric and fuel-cell cars and crossovers by the end of the decade.

According to Automotive News, Hyundai Motor Company's Ahn Byung-ki says the follow up to the Tucson FCEV will be somewhere between a crossover and an SUV. The fuel-cell Tuscon was introduced in 2013 and produced in limited numbers; in Canada, it was initially only sold in British Columbia and Ontario.

Setting a hard target like an Olympic games debut is a bold move, and we assume that means the vehicle's development is well underway. Another Hyundai exec, Yang Woong-chul, says the company is doing all the work on its fuel cell tech itself, rather than partnering with other automakers, because he believes "more alliances end in failure than success." Hyundai is also working on a fuel cell bus that they hope to have ready for the Pyeongchang games.

Other vehicles in the pipeline include an EV with a 400 km driving range, and a pickup truck.