2014 Hyundai Elantra Sport on 2040-cars

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First 2019 Hyundai Nexo fuel-cell vehicle delivered

Hyundai's multiple-pronged approach to electrification is helping the automaker to cover its bases as we move away from carbon-emitting internal combustion vehicles. It is entering the long-range battery-electric vehicle game with the Kona EV, and it is following up on its hydrogen strategy with the 2019 Nexo, which replaces the Tucson Fuel Cell. We've had a couple of opportunities to sample the Nexo fuel-cell crossover, and now it's making its way into the garages of the general public; Hyundai has delivered the first Nexo to a customer in California. The first Hyundai Nexo customer is Ventura resident Todd Hochrad, who took delivery from Keyes Hyundai in Van Nuys. The former scientist is no stranger to electrification, having owned hybrid and battery electric vehicles in the past. Now he'll be able to enjoy emissions-free driving (well, apart from the clean water byproduct) as well as the convenience of quick fill-ups at the hydrogen fueling station. Customers in California can buy a Hyundai Nexo for a starting MSRP of $58,300. Hyundai also offers a 36-month lease: The Nexo Blue goes for $399 a month, while the Limited leases for $449. The Nexo is eligible for a $5,000 tax credit from the state of California, and customers also receive a year of free maintenance and fueling cards good for the first three years of ownership. We've had the opportunity to drive the Hyundai Nexo fuel-cell SUV, and found it to be a pleasant drive — calm, quiet and comfortable, with a quality interior and robust driver-assist technologies. It's a shame that our limited hydrogen-fueling infrastructure will keep this car limited to certain regions in the U.S., primarily San Francisco and Southern California, for now. Related Video:

For Hyundai, ZEV credit rules are working

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has been working on its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) plan since the early 1990s, so no one at Hyundai could act surprised when the automaker finally started selling enough vehicles to be affected by the rules around 2012. In fact, the company had lots of time to prepare for being reclassified as an Intermediate Volume automaker and the obligations to sell ZEV vehicles – fuel cell vehicles, electric vehicles, or plug ins – that come with that title. Today, Hyundai has more credits than it needs and no plans to sell them to other, less forward-looking automakers. "We are not in the business of buying or selling ZEV credits." - Mike O'Brien Anyone paying close enough attention will know that Hyundai has been working on hydrogen fuel cell technology since a little before 2000. O'Brien said that Hyundai's fuel cell program "predated regulation for us by more than a decade and a half." That's why the company is in good standing today. In the ZEV marketplace, the value of one ZEV credit is private information between those who sell them and those looking to buy. So, while we don't know how much money Hyundai's extra credits are actually worth, California does publish the credit balances, so we can at least know how many Hyundai has.The most recent seem to be from 2014, which are available here. That's when Hyundai had 896 ZEV credits, 4,825.71 "advanced technology partial zero-emission vehicles" (AT-PZEV) and 6,751.80 PZEV credits, but O'Brien said that, "We are not in the business of buying or selling credits. To my knowledge, there is nobody I know in this company that has investigated either the purchase or sale of ZEV credits." Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell in BeeZero Hydrogen Carsharing Program View 6 Photos Instead, Hyundai - like many other automakers - is generating its own credits by selling zero-emission vehicles to offset the vehicles it sells that are too dirty in the ZEV credit scheme. And the company's recent expansion of Tucson Fuel Cell sales into Northern California is likely a preview for the vehicle's availability in the Northeast. After all, that's where the next batch of H2 stations is due and O'Brien has said in the past the Hyundai will sell the vehicle where there's fuel. O'Brien said Hyundai is talking to the same hydrogen providers that competitors like Honda and Toyota are talking to (so, FirstElement Fuel), but is not ready to make any announcements about any infrastructure partnerships.

2014 Hyundai i40 Tourer / Sonata wagon

Recently, we took a vacation to Australia, because sometimes we have to get away from all of that other travel and good living that we withstand in order to bring you the latest car news. While there, we grabbed the keys to a Hyundai i40 Tourer, essentially the Sonata wagon we never got a chance to love here.
Even though it didn't have a manual transmission, it did have a diesel and, for reasons beyond that oil-burner, our enduring affections. No, this story will not include another plea for Hyundai to bring it to the US - it likely wouldn't stand a chance against our crossover- and size-crazed mania, but it's a brilliant fit for markets that appreciate tidy haulers.