Toyota and BMW are among the major Japanese and German carmakers that are entering the hydrogen-powered vehicle industry, which is currently dominated by Hyundai Motor Co.
In December, Toyota will release the second-generation Mirai, a hydrogen vehicle, to the Chinese market. To increase consumer awareness, it intends to employ roughly 100 units of the Mirai for short-term car rentals and cab-hailing services before beginning retail sales. The maximum driving distance has been increased to 850 km on a single charge, and the new Mirai performs significantly better than the previous model. The distance traveled is over 200 kilometers longer than the Hyundai Nexo’s (609 km). Toyota intends to start full-scale manufacture of the commercial vehicle in 2023 and use the hydrogen fuel cells from the Mirai for the pickup truck Hilux.
Honda is presently marketing the Clarity hydrogen-powered vehicle. It intends to mass produce the sports utility vehicle (SUV) CR-V using hydrogen starting in 2024. By allowing users to charge the batteries of the CR-hydrogen V’s version with electricity, similar to an electric car, it hopes to set itself apart from competing models.
A few European automakers have also finished making it ready for the market for hydrogen-powered vehicles. BMW started test manufacturing of the hydrogen-powered iX5 concept car on December 5. It was unveiled last year. In 2023, BMW and Toyota will release the iX5, a vehicle fueled by hydrogen fuel cells. It will be available in Japan. Even Volkswagen, which had previously expressed skepticism over the commercial viability of hydrogen-powered vehicles, recently filed a patent application for hydrogen fuel cells with a German energy firm.
The world’s first mass-produced Xcient hydrogen trucks were exported to the European market by Hyundai Motor Co., demonstrating its ability to compete in the hydrogen vehicle technology industry. The Xcient hydrogen truck outperforms rival diesel models with a maximum output of 476 horsepower and a range of 570 kilometers on a single charge. So far, 47 Xcient hydrogen trucks have been shipped from Hyundai Motor to Switzerland. It also provided 27 units to Germany in August. Hyundai Motor went a step further and started providing customers in Korea with Xcient hydrogen pickups.
The recent decision by Hyundai Motor Co. to create a third-generation hydrogen fuel cell lifted the bar even higher. Second-generation hydrogen fuel cells are currently used in the Nexo and the Xcient hydrogen truck.
According to SNE Research, a market research firm, Hyundai Motor sold 9,591 Nexo vehicles on the global market between January and October of this year, capturing a 59.2 percent share. The Nexo now has a 41.3 percentage point lead over Toyota Mirai (17.9%), which is in second place.
