GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Hyundai confirms new hydrogen fuel cell SUV

Hyundai has confirmed it will launch an all-new fuel cell vehicle at the Geneva motor show that will be on sale by 2018.

Making the announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas late last night Hyundai's vice president Seung Ho Hwang said the new vehicle would be an SUV but, unlike the current ix35 fuel cell, would not be based on any existing platform or model.

Instead, the fuel cell SUV would be built on a new platform and come with unique looks.

The advantage of a bespoke platform for the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, says Hwang, was it would make the car far lighter than the current ix35 with a significantly longer range.

Hwang also says the new fuel cell SUV would be more affordable.

In markets like the UK, where the Hyundai ix35 fuel cell is sold, the hydrogen-powered SUV costs more than $90,000.

Hyundai hasn't confirmed what range the new car will come with but considering the current fuel cell is capable of travelling more than 560km between tanks, it's thought the new vehicle will have a range in excess of 800km.

It's likely the new fuel cell SUV will also come with a more powerful electric motor than its predecessor's 100kW/300Nm powerplant that struggled with the ix35's kerbweight of more than 1800kg.

According to an earlier report, the fuel cell SUV will be sold globally with Hyundai management hoping to sell 15,000 vehicles over a four-year production run.

Hyundai hopes, in the future, that pure-electric vehicles will be used for short distances and fuel cell vehicles, whose only emission is water vapour, will be used for long-range travel.

A lack of hydrogen infrastructure in Australia, there’s just one filling station at Hyundai’s Sydney HQ, means the new SUV will almost certainly be ruled out here.