[Courtesy of the Ministry of Environment]
South Korea's Hyundai auto group did not rule out possible technical ties with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA), an Italian-American corporation, in developing hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.
"It is too early to speak officially," Hyundai's senior vice president Lee Ki-sang told reporters. "We are coordinating internally in case discussions with FCA are in progress."
In 2010, the country's top carmaker unveiled its first hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) model, "Tucson ix FCEV". The FCEV model has largely failed to win over consumers, but Hyundai vowed to step up the development of related technologies as its future growth engine, saying hydrogen fuel cells would become a general trend.
In March next year, Hyundai plans to release a new FCEV model capable of covering a distance of up to 590 kilometers (366 miles) when fully charged, Lee said, calling for government support to set up a network of fuel stations.
The company unveiled a fresh roadmap to increase the number of eco-friendly vehicles up to 38 by 2025 as it stood second after Japan's Toyota in global sales of clean energy vehicles in the first half of this year.
Hyundai and its affiliate, Kia Motors, will diversify the lineup of all-electric, gasoline hybrid, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to cope with an uncertain market situation, Lee said. The two companies plan to increase the number of pure-electric vehicles to 14 by 2025.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
