You Can Buy a Hydrogen-Powered SUV Next Year

Hyundai introducing Tucson powered by hydrogen fuel cell
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 19, 2013 11:57 AM CST
You Can Buy a Hydrogen-Powered SUV Next Year
A typical Hyundai Tucson   (PRNewsFoto/Hyundai Motor America)

For the first time, starting next year, you'll be able to buy a car powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. Hyundai will introduce a hydrogen-powered version of its Tucson SUV, which will initially only be sold in California, as the state has nine filling stations available. As more filling stations are built, the car will be sold in other areas, the AP reports. "These things are now ready for prime time," says the automaker's North American CEO. Details, including price, will be announced tomorrow at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

It will be the first mass-market vehicle of its kind sold or leased in the US, though General Motors had a test fleet of hydrogen-powered SUVs in the mid-2000s and Honda has leased just two dozen hydrogen-powered cars for $600 a month. Toyota and possibly Honda are also expected to sell a similar vehicle in 2015. President George W. Bush called for hydrogen-powered, emissions-free cars in 2003, but lately the focus has been on battery-powered and hybrid cars. Hyundai says a rear-mounted tank helped it conquer safety concerns; it has passed multiple crash tests. (More hydrogen fuel cells stories.)

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