Hyundai has reportedly stopped development of a car with a hydrogen-electric powertrain. In fact, the South Korean car manufacturer is one of the most vocal players in the effort to develop hydrogen-powered cars.
Reporting from the Autoblog page today, Monday, January 3, 2022, an anonymous source told the South Korean media Chosunbiz, Hyundai executives stopped the development of hydrogen cars due to analysis of the results of a feasibility study. However, this suspension is temporary.
Media Pulse in South Korea had informed that Hyundai denied that they had stopped the development of hydrogen fuel cells. The company said the slowdown in development was due to an overhaul of its research and development team.
However, it is rumored that Hyundai has halted development of hydrogen fuel cells due to technical problems that have yet to be found. Then there are also some problems from the sales side because the price is relatively expensive.
Obviously this is a setback from Hyundai, considering the company has poured a sizeable investment fund for the development of this hydrogen fuel. In fact, Hyundai has marketed its first hydrogen-powered car, the Nexo, and has sold 8,206 units in South Korea as of November 2021.
Hyundai itself has announced its plans to produce around 130,000 hydrogen-powered cars annually from 2025. Hyundai also has the Hyundai Vision FK concept car introduced in 2021, and the concept car will only be a prototype.
