Hyundai Motor will deliver 60 fuel cell ix35 vehicles to Paris-based electric taxi startup STEP (Société du Taxi Electrique Parisien). The MoU was signed today at the inauguration of an Air Liquide-operated public hydrogen filling station at Hyundai Motor Europe Headquarters in Offenbach, Germany. The world's largest fleet of fuel cell taxis (hype) (Hydrogen Powered Electric) is currently serving Paris and the surrounding area with five ix35 fuel cells delivered by Hyundai Motor in December 2015. It is planned that the fleet will grow to several thousand vehicles within five years.
“By signing the memorandum today, STEP and Hyundai Motor (www.hyundaibook.ru/en) intend to launch 60 more ix35 fuel cells on the streets of Paris,” said Thomas A. Schmid, COO of Hyundai Motor Europe. “In addition to being an environmentally friendly transport solution for the city, fuel cell taxis are a practical, convenient and reliable choice for drivers and passengers.”
More than 800 tons of emissions cut new 60 ix35 fuel cell vehicles will not be added to the 17,000 taxis that already serve Paris and its environs. They will replace cars with petrol and diesel engines. Compared to a diesel-powered taxi with CO2 emissions of 135 grams per kilometer and an annual mileage of 100,000 kilometers, ix35 fuel cell vehicles reduce CO2 emissions by more than 800 tons per year. This is the equivalent of one person catching a plane and flying more than 200 times from Frankfurt to New York and back. The difference is that the exhaust of the ix35 Fuel Cells while in motion is only water vapor.
Even when produced from natural gas, hydrogen is much more environmentally friendly than any fossil fuel: at the same distance, hydrogen cars cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20% compared to internal combustion cars and do not produce fine particulate matter.
The ix35 Fuel Cell is the world's first mass-produced and commercially available fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) to travel up to 594 km on a single tank of hydrogen. Currently, more than 300 Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell (Hyundai Tucson) vehicles are traveling on European roads in 12 countries. This is more than the fuel cell electric vehicles of all other manufacturers combined. Its powerful asynchronous electric motor generates 100 kW (136 hp) and a maximum torque of 300 Nm is a real pleasure to drive. Thanks to its efficiency, the ix35Fuel Cell has a range of up to 594 kilometers per fuel tank.
Hydrogen mobility in Europe
The launch of the ix35 Fuel Cell vehicles is partially funded by the Hydrogen Mobility Europe project. Hydrogen Mobility Europe is funded by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Venture (FCH JU), a public-private partnership supporting research, technology development and demonstration activities for fuel cells and hydrogen energy technologies in Europe.
