Hyundai Motor has leased a hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicle to the FCH JU since October 2011 and the latest news means that two examples of the ix35 Fuel Cell, the world’s first mass production fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), will be driven during 2014 by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), European Commissioners, EU officials and other policymakers in the EU.

Byung Kwon Rhim, President of Hyundai Motor Europe, commented: ‘The fact that the Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell has been chosen for a third consecutive year underlines the vehicle’s pioneering approach to clean mobility solutions. Hyundai Motor and our colleagues at the FCH-JU will continue to work together to promote the benefits and advantages of hydrogen and fuel cell technology.’

Examples of the Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell are already being leased by public and private fleets, primarily in Europe, where the European Union has established a hydrogen road map and initiated construction of hydrogen fuelling stations. Public authorities in Denmark, Germany, Norway and Sweden, as well as private fleets in France, Denmark and Finland, have already taken delivery of ix35 Fuel Cell cars.

In April 2014, Hyundai Motor announced its plan to deliver 75 units of ix35 Fuel Cell as part of the largest ever pan-European fuel-cell passenger car project. The Hydrogen for Innovative Vehicles (HyFIVE) project, funded by FCH JU, will see deliveries made in Bolzano (Italy), Copenhagen (Denmark), Innsbruck (Austria), London (UK), Munich and Stuttgart (Germany). As part of the project, the existing pan-European refuelling infrastructure will be expanded significantly, providing greater choice and convenience to early adopters of FCEV technology.