Hydrogen powered vehicles have not yet caught on as an eco-friendly alternative to transportation. However, Hyundai is hoping to fix that by investing heavily in technology and its new hydrogen-powered SUV called the .
Hyundai has announced that they plan to start production of a hydrogen SUV in the first half of next year. The Itium can run up to 404 kilometers on a single refueling and can also use electric power as a rechargeable backup to household electricity. The car will also make public appearances at the LA Auto Show and Auto Guangzhou in China next month. It is not yet confirmed where the cars will be available when they go on sale so a US launch is not guaranteed.
The Initium may be a concept car for now but Hyundai seems committed to getting its new hydrogen car to drivers as soon as possible, even if the fuel source hasn’t made nearly as many strides towards widespread acceptance as electric options. The South Korean automaker plans to invest $4 billion to develop its hydrogen vehicle technology and infrastructure to meet the overall goal of carbon neutrality by 2045 with vehicles like the Itium and unveiled last year.
Hydrogen may be a viable alternative to gasoline, but it still has a ways to go to compete with electric vehicles (and that’s without acknowledging the continued proliferation of gasoline-powered vehicles). There are only 59 hydrogen charging stations in the US, most of them in California, according to the . There are a number of automakers that still offer a hydrogen powered option including Hyundai () and Toyota (). Honda used to offer a hydrogen car with The Clarity but it ended production in 2021, according to .
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