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Hyundai puts its hydrogen development program on hiatus

UPDATE: According to Pulse news in South Korea, Hyundai denies that it has paused development of hydrogen fuel cells. Instead, the report suggests the team was reshuffled as technological hurdles have slowed down progress. Time will tell which version of the report is factual. Hydrogen technology has reportedly lost one of its biggest and most vocal proponents, at least for now. Citing a long list of hurdles, Hyundai has allegedly stopped developing the hydrogen-electric powertrain it planned to put in several of its cars (including Genesis models) in the coming years. Anonymous sources told South Korean publication Chosunbiz that executives pulled the emergency brake after analyzing the results of a feasibility study. Nothing is official at this point, and the report stresses that the pause is temporary. However, the issues reportedly found are relatively serious: they include unspecified technical problems and a lack of marketability due in part to cost-related concerns. The news comes as a surprise because Hyundai has invested a tremendous amount of resources into making hydrogen a viable alternative to gasoline without many of the inconveniences associated with EVs, like long charging times and limited driving range. It's one of the few carmakers in the world that sells a hydrogen-electric car (the Nexo; pictured), and it announced plans to build about 130,000 hydrogen-powered cars annually by 2025. And yet, the Nexo is a tough sell, even in hydrogen-friendly markets like South Korea; 8,206 units were sold there through November 2021. The 671-horsepower Vision FK concept unveiled earlier in 2021 will seemingly remain at the prototype stage. Interestingly, a separate unverified report claims that Hyundai has also shuttered its engine development division. If both are accurate, it means that the Hyundai group (which includes Kia and Genesis) will exclusively develop electric powertrains starting in the near future. Several car companies have tried to pelt hydrogen-powered cars into the mainstream over the past decade and most have failed. Some of the issues facing the technology include the lack of a charging infrastructure and governments with a single-minded focus on EVs. There are 48 hydrogen charging stations in America, according to the United States Department of Energy, and 47 of those are located in California. While that's great news for Californians, it makes the Nexo completely useless for someone driving from Salt Lake City to Seattle.

2016 Hyundai Tucson and Sonata each get TSP+ rating by IIHS

Hyundai is no stranger to building vehicles that get Top Safety Pick+ honors from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, but the company is getting two of the awards at once thanks to the latest results from the 2016 Tucson and Sonata. Both models feature a front crash prevention system that's rated highly by the safety agency. The biggest advancement in this round comes for the new Tucson. In the small-overlap front crash, it now earns the IIHS' best score of Good, versus Poor – the lowest – for the previous generation. In the latest test, the crossover shows at most six inches of intrusion into the passenger compartment, compared to 16 inches last time. The airbags work to protect the head, and the sensors indicate a low risk of injury. The Tucson has Good ratings in all the other safety evaluations, too. The 2015 Sonata already did quite well when checked last year, but Hyundai apparently wasn't happy with the sedan's Acceptable result in the small-overlap front crash. According to the IIHS, the automaker adjusted the driver's seatbelt and the front suspension in hopes of a better score. However, even with the tweaks, the 2016 Sonata kept the same result. It scored Good in the other safety categories. The company isn't giving up on acing things, though. "Modifications are planned to take Sonata to 'Good' in the small overlap test," Hyundai spokesperson Jim Trainor said to Autoblog. The IIHS gave the crash prevention tech in both models its top Superior grade. The systems' automatic braking was able to avoid accidents from 12 and 25 miles per hour. The forward collision warning added the last bit needed to give them the maximum six points from the institute. Related Video: Hyundai Tucson and Sonata earn 2015 TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards ARLINGTON, Va. — A redesign for 2016 has taken the Hyundai Tucson from a poor to good rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's small overlap front crash test. With an available front crash prevention system that earns a superior rating, the small SUV qualifies for the TOP SAFETY PICK+ award. The 2016 Hyundai Sonata also earns a superior front crash prevention rating and a TOP SAFETY PICK+. In the Tucson's small overlap test, the driver's space was maintained well, with maximum intrusion of 6 inches at the parking brake pedal, but no more than 3 inches at other locations. The dummy's movement was well-controlled, and the front and side curtain airbags worked well together to protect the head.

South Korea island of Jeju becoming an EV-incentive heaven

When it comes to providing some island EV love, we can point to Hawaii, which has been pushing hard for greater electric-vehicle adoption through subsidies and a broader charging network. Now, South Korea has Jeju. We're not sure if the surf is as good. Like Hawaii, Jeju is focusing on a "carbon-free" existence and lowered fossil-fuel dependency as a way to help the environment while addressing the extra expenses involved in providing fuel locally, Wards Auto says. Jeju, which is about 720 square miles, provides about $7,000 worth of EV incentives on top of those provided by the South Korean government. As a result, the cost of buying an EV can be cut in half. In the case of a Chevrolet Spark EV, going electric actually has a lower out-of-pocket price tag than buying a gas-powered counterpart on the island. South Korea's Ministry of Environment has earmarked about $14,000 in subsidies for each EV purchase, while 10 South Korean cities are adding on incentives anywhere from about $2,800 to $7,400 per vehicle. South Korean automaker Hyundai and affiliate Kia are just starting to do their part to boost the country's EV sales, which didn't even break the 800-unit mark last year. Kia recently said it will start making its 2015 model-year Soul EV in April, with sales debuting in South Korea by the end of the year. Hyundai is said to start selling its own EV starting in 2016. News Source: Wards AutoImage Credit: Korean Tourism Organization Government/Legal Green Hyundai Kia Electric incentives tax incentives island