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Tuesday, 3 December, 2013 12:52 PM
Hyundai
introduces Tucson FCEV and Veloster Turbo R Spec at 2013 L.A. Auto
Show
Hyundai
to beat Honda by bringing its fuel cell electric vehicle to the
market one year earlier
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| PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com |
The
Tucson Fuel Cell will be available in Spring 2014 with lease offer
of $2,999 down and $499 a month with unlimited free hydrogen refueling.
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LOS
ANGELES -- Honda was the first to show its FCEV Concept
sedan at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show, which will be coming to
the U.S. in 2015. Then, Hyundai Motor America was the second automaker
to reveal a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle at the auto show.
The automaker debuted its Tucson FCEV crossover, which will be in
U.S. showrooms this Spring. It is expected to have a driving range
of 300 miles. A hydrogen vehicle can be refueled in two or three
minutes just like a gasoline-powered vehicle. Instead of simply
storing energy like the Chevrolet Volt or the Nissan Leaf, a fuel
cell vehicle uses the hydrogen to make energy onboard.
"At
Hyundai, we strive to be the global eco leader as part of our Blue
Drive environmental strategy," said John Krafcik, president
and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. "We know for sure we need
to put more zero emission vehicles on the road and that means electric
vehicles. But exactly what kind of electric vehicles? It's dominated
by two different schools of thought. One says let's store a bunch
of electricity onboard in lots and lots of batteries. There's another
that says let's make electricity on board with hydrogen fuel cells.
You're going to see both in our lineup in the years ahead."
Krafcik
says hydrogen fuel cell vehicles weigh less than traditional battery-electric
vehicles simply because the fuel cells are lighter than batteries.
He added that FCEVs are more configurable. In addition, they have
an extended driving range of up to 300 miles. The Tucson FCEV will
be the world's first, federally-certified hydrogen fuel cell vehicle
for the retail market.
"The
Tucson FCEV is real. It's here and it's ready for business,"
said Mike O'Brien, vice president of product and corporate planning
for Hyundai Motor America. "It's a production vehicle built
on the same assembly line as the gasoline-powered Tucson, which
allows us to leverage both the high quality and cost efficiency
of this very popular vehicle lineup. It just happens to have one
of the advanced powertrains in the world. As our friends at Honda
announced earlier this afternoon with their fuel cell concept, our
entire fuel cell powertrain is under the hood."
This new
fuel cell vehicle eliminates most of the driving anxiety most consumers
have when it comes to electric vehicles. Most EVs have a limited
range of 30 miles or so and then you will be stranded. However,
FCEVs can go for up to 300 miles, which should be enough range to
allow consumers to drive to work, grab a bite to eat, do some shopping
and then return home with no problem.
Hyundai
is offering free hydrogen refueling to all customers who lease a
Tucson FCEV. They require a down payment of $2,999 with a monthly
payment of $499 per month. The automaker will also include at your
service valet maintenance. If there is ever a problem with the Tucson
FCEV, a certified technician will come to your home or work, pick
up the vehicle and offer you a loaner until the vehicle is fixed.
When it is back in working condition, they will return the vehicle
to you. It is not known what the cost will be to purchase the Tucson
FCEV or if the free refueling deal will be offered to consumers
who buy it.
There are
nine hydrogen refueling stations in California right now, according
to the U.S. Department of Energy. Seven of them are in the Los Angeles
area with one near San Franciso and the other in the Palms Springs
area. Gov. Brown recently signed legislation to open 100 more stations
within the state. The federal government approved a similar bill
to open more stations across the country.
"In
Hyundai's lineup, we have a limited designation we call R Spec,"
said Scott Margason, director of product planning at Hyundai Motor
America. "R Spec delivers the quickest performance around a
road course. R Spec is always the highest performance model. Today,
we're very proud to introduce a new member to the R Spec family,
the Veloster Turbo R Spec. We started with our Veloster Turbo model
featuring a 201 hp, 1.6-liter, direct-injected turbocharged engine.
We removed some of the premium content found on that model such
as heated leather seats, side repeater mirrors and push-button start.
We added things from the enthusiast wish list."
The new
Veloster Turbo R Spec features a racing sport shifter to the six-speed
manual model. Other additions include red exterior accents and unique
badging. This new model will be $1,000 cheaper at $21,300, it will
become Hyundai's most affordable turbocharged Veloster ever. Look
for the Veloster Turbo R Spec in U.S. showrooms in early 2014.
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PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com |
Scott
Margason, Director of Product Planning for Hyundai Motor America
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| PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com |
The
2014 Hyundai Veloster R Spec was unveiled
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| PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com |
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| PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com |
It
will be priced at $21,300 MSRP
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PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com |
Hyundai
Motor America CEO John Krafcik speaking during
the press conference.
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