[Courtesy of Ministry of Environment]
Hyundai Motor's compact SUV Tucson ix has been selected for a pilot project to operate hydrogen-powered fuel cell taxis for the first time in South Korea, officials said Monday.
A ceremony will be held on Tuesday to mark the launch of the project in the southeastern industrial city of Ulsan, the Environment Ministry said, adding it would operate 10 hydrogen fuel cell taxis this year and five more in the first half of next year.
"The pilot project will open the way for active sales of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles," Vice Environment Minister Lee Chung-seop said in a statement. Each taxi will receive a subsidy of 27.5 million won (23,500 US dollars).
The ministry plans to introduce a total of 130 hydrogen taxis in Ulsan and other cities next year. Hyundai Motor, the country's top automaker based in Ulsan, will provide after-sale services. The pilot project is part of government plans to supply 10,000 hydrogen cars by 2020.
Fuel cell vehicles use hydrogen gas to power an electric motor. It takes only several minutes to charge. A high-pressure tank holds hydrogen, which is routed through a fuel cell stack to generate electricity, and an electric motor provides the actual locomotion.
Hyundai suggests hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will ultimately replace electric cars, although it has a long way to go because South Korea has yet to build a network of charging facilities and relevant infrastructure. Experts predict it will take more than a decade for hydrogen-powered vehicles to replace electric cars.
Hydrogen cars are still not consumer friendly as they require fixed charging stations filled with hydrogen, while electric vehicles can be charged easily either through portable chargers or at stations. Hyundai's fuel cell cars use byproduct hydrogen stemming from chemical production at a petrochemical plant.
Global competition has been growing in the hydrogen car market. Japan is far ahead of South Korea in expanding the number of charging stations for hydrogen-powered cars.
In 2014, Toyota unveiled its hydrogen fuel cell model, Mirai, which runs up to 650 kilometers on a single charge. Honda's hydrogen-powered car, Clarity, released in March this year, runs up to 750 kilometers. China has disclosed plans to supply 50,000 hydrogen electric cars by 2025 and one million ones by 2030.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
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Park Sae-jin
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