EU officials to drive Hyundai ix35 FCEV

The last decade or so has seen a major worldwide push for a greener, more environmentally friendly approach to energy which has spread to the field of alternative fuels for the auto industry.

That move has seen a number of different hybrid vehicles make it onto the market, but with gas prices skyrocketing, consumer demand has grown for an even cleaner, more cost effective alternative to gas, which may come in the form of hydrogen fuel cells.

Hyundai has been at the forefront of the fuel cell development, and their commitment was rewarded today when their ix35 fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) was chosen as the real world test vehicle by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), an organization which has the complete backing of the European Commission.

The Hyundai ix35, which made its debut at last year’s Geneva Motor Show was chosen due to the vast improvements it has made in the areas of driving range and manufacturing costs.

Hyundai’s interest in the FCEV began in 2000 with the release of the Santa Fe, and in the years since, they have operated their fuel cell research facility at the Eco Technology Research Institute in Korea.

That commitment to developing a commercially viable fuel cell car led to an agreement with the Municipality of Copenhagen that will see Demark be the first country to plan ahead and set up infrastructure that will FCEV’s readily available for use by the expected release to the general public sometime in 2015.

The first step in testing the ix35 will be allowing Members of European Parliament, Commissioners, EU officials and other policymakers to test drive until March 2012. One of those members, Maria da Graça Carvalho, expressed his excitement at the possibilities of carbon dioxide emission reduction that the ix35 and other FCEV’s promise to deliver.

This is yet another great honor for Hyundai, and that was not lost on Chang Kyun Han, President of Hyundai Motor Europe who took the time to thank the members of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, before saying that he believed the decision was a ringing endorsement of all the work that Hyundai has done in the FCEV field.

He finished up by saying that he believed that Hyundai would have no less than 30 ix35’s operating across Europe next year. Given that the ix35 was designed and engineered in Europe, it’s tough to say whether or not it will ever make it across the pond, or even whether North Americans are ready to abandon their dependence on gas.