Hyundai has teamed up with the capital of Denmark to test the ix35 FCEV, a fuel cell electric vehicle that is almost ready for mass production. This marks a major milestone in the company's 14-year old fuel cell program.
Scheduled to be delivered early next year, the 15 zero-emission SUVs will be used on a daily basis by various branches of Copenhagen's government. The information gathered by the pilot program will be sent back to Hyundai headquarters and used to put the finishing touches on the production version of the SUV, which is on track to make its global debut in 2015.
To make sure that the ix35 FCEV can stand up to Denmark's harsh winters, Hyundai drove two test cars 27,000 miles throughout Scandinavia last year without running into any cold-related problems.
Distinguishable by a redesigned grille, the ix35 FCEV is capable of hitting 62 mph from a stop in 12.5 seconds before reaching a top speed of roughly 100 mph. It has a total range of about 365 miles and emits only water vapor.
Copenhagen boasts a better-than-average fuel cell infrastructure, making it the ideal city for Hyundai to test the ix35 FCEV. The city's government wants to replace about 85 percent of its automotive fleet with zero-emission vehicles by the year 2015.
