Fuel Cell Vehicle Development at Hyundai-Kia Motors

Abstract

Fuel cell vehicles, which are driven by electrical power generated from hydrogen fuel, are becoming a 'hot potato' in the automotive industry. It is now well known that the crude oil supply will run out in about forty years and the earth needs a different type of energy resource that can last indefinitely. 'Hydrogen era' is expected to begin in the 2020's, and the biggest market for hydrogen fuel cells will certainly be the auto industry. However, the cost of the fuel cell vehicle or the individual parts is far from being realistic from a mass production standpoint. Every major auto maker is trying to reduce the cost and enhance manufacturability, and we are about to see the promising outcome. Hyundai-Kia Motors has the largest fuel cell research center in Korea and it has developed several different types of FCVs since its first launch of Santa Fe FCV in 2000. In this paper, we present the basic principles of fuel cells and the history of fuel cell vehicles. In addition, the status of FCV development at Hyundai-Kia Motors are introduced. Verification programs sponsored by Korean and American governments are presented to show how actively we are collaborating with other fuel cell-related companies in order to make FCVs commercially available.