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Tucson hydrogen fuel cell CUV will allow Hyundai to sell more dirty cars

With the first Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell Vehicle deliveries happening soon (a bit later than expected), it's time for the Korean automaker to explain why it's offering the H2 CUV here in the states. After all, there are only 10 public hydrogen stations in the US today, according to the DOE, so it can't be to take over the market. According to a Hyundai exec, the reason we are getting the Tucson Fuel Cell is to make up to $130,000 through California's ZEV credit system. "We really don't make any money out of selling the fuel cell vehicles for now" – Byung Ki Ahn According to Wards Auto, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) will give the automaker up to 26 points worth of zero emission vehicle (ZEV) credits for each of the $499/month hydrogen Tucson leased through the 2017 model year. Those credits could be worth up to $130,000 to Hyundai. Byung Ki Ahn, Hyundai's director of the fuel cell group, told Wards Auto that, "We really don't make any money out of selling the fuel cell vehicles for now. ... So just by selling the fuel cell (vehicle) we could get a lot of credit points, which you could sell at a later time if you want, like Tesla does. It could be a good business model." Ahn clarified that Hyundai does not plan to cash in on those credits, but to use them to offset the rest of its vehicle lineup. Other automakers also participate in the ZEV credit system, of course, but if Anh's numbers are correct, then fuel cell vehicles earn more credits than battery electric vehicles do, so if you want to earn a lot of credits, hydrogen is a good way to go. You can find more details over at Wards Auto. *This post has been updated to mention other automakers using the ZEV scheme.

Hyundai expanding Tucson fuel cell deliveries to NorCal soon

The Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell hasn't exactly sold a bazillion copies, but that's all according to plan. Hyundai – like Toyota and Honda with their hydrogen vehicles – it keeping deliveries under control because there just aren't that many H2 refueling centers. Right now, all of these hydrogen vehicles are tooling around the LA area. At the Washington Auto Show this week, Hyundai announced that it would soon start deliveries in Northern California as well. There was no date set for the San Francisco-Bay Area hydrogen cars to arrive, but Hyundai's Mike O'Brien said that because, "We will sell them where there's fuel." Stations are supposed to begin opening in NorCal in the next few weeks. The next area that Hyundai suspects to launch the Tucson Fuel Cell is in the Northeast, which is the plan that other automakers have as well. The Tucson Fuel Cell leases for $499 a month, and includes free hydrogen fuel. There are currently around a dozen stations open in California. O'Brien said that 53 stations have been given fund guarantees by the state of California, but 23 have not yet broken ground. The biggest hurdle, he said, is regulatory – getting all of the different government agencies to work together to approve construction. Hyundai wants governments to get cracking on installing more hydrogen stations because it has plans to sell a second hydrogen vehicle at some point in the world by 2020. Up next on the green car front – we'll see it in Chicago early next month, in fact – is the Ioniq, which will be available with a pure EV, a PHEV and a standard hybrid. Whether the Ioniq will get a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain at some point has not been announced or even hinted at, but we would not be surprised if it does.

Hyundai, Kia and Genesis EVs recalled for damaged charging control unit

Hyundai Motor America and Kia America are recalling a combined 147,100 U.S. vehicles over a damaged charging unit, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Thursday. Hyundai will recall 98,878 vehicles, including certain 2022-2024 Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, Genesis GV60, Genesis GV70 Electrified and Genesis GV80 Electrified models, while Kia will recall 48,232 vehicles impacting certain EV6 models. The Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) "may become damaged over time from transient high voltage and thermal cycling" and stop charging the 12-volt battery, which can result in a loss of drive power increasing the risk of a crash, the safety regulator said. Kia notes that there will be "audible warning chimes and one or more of the following: Illumination of "Check Electric Vehicle System" warning light, Master warning light, Charging system warning light, "Stop vehicle and check power supply" warning light, power down (turtle) warning light and/or reductions in motive power." Dealers will inspect and replace the ICCU and its fuse, as necessary. In addition, dealers will update the ICCU software. Material from Reuters was used in this report. Green Recalls Genesis Hyundai Kia Electric