The fuel-cell vehicle (FCV) is an automotive holy grail that promises the low emissions of a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) with the range and refueling convenience of a gasoline-powered car. But with the exception of roadgoing experiments such as Honda’s FCX and Clarity, the FCV always seems years away. Available only as a three-year lease, the Hyundai Tucson brings the FCV closer, costing drivers $499 per month plus $2999 down. In California, where the crossover is marketed exclusively, the state will pay the down payment and then some with a $5000 subsidy, meaning the monthly payment works out to $443. To sweeten the deal, Hyundai picks up the hydrogen-fuel tab, probably because federal incentives for FCVs go straight to the manufacturer. According to Hyundai, the cost of the technology has been cut by 40 percent over the past 15 years. Still, fuel cells remain expensive, in part because of the platinum needed for their proton-exchange membranes. In simplest terms, the fuel cell makes its electricity from an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and air. Hydrogen atoms stored in high-pressure tanks pass through a membrane that strips away their electrons, creating the electricity to power a drive motor. Water—from hydrogen protons combining with air on the other side of the membrane—exits the tailpipe. Hydrogen may be the most abundant element in the universe, but isolating it on earth requires work. An FCV’s total greenhouse-gas production—everything from vehicle manufacturing to fuel distribution—depends on how its fuel is created. Hydrogen can be accumulated in a number of ways, but the simplest method is electrolysis. If the electricity that splits the hydrogen from oxygen comes from a renewable source, and the hydrogen is piped to the fueling station, an FCV has half the greenhouse-gas impact of a BEV charged on California’s power grid, where electricity sources are varied. Driving the Tucson Fuel Cell is exactly like driving a BEV. A 134-hp AC motor with 221 pound-feet of torque moves the 4150-pound Tucson forcefully from a stop, but acceleration tapers off above 30 mph. The drivetrain and the fuel cell are silent, and the single-speed transmission whisks the Tucson hither and yon without hesitation. But aside from the novelty of the powerplant under the hood, there’s not much that’s exciting or interesting about it.

• published: 14 Nov 2014
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