Series production of the Hyundai ix35 fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) is to begin later this month the automaker has confirmed as the car wins the prestigious FuturAuto accolade at the 2013 Brussels Motor Show. The award is in its twelfth year and celebrates technological innovation in the automotive industry; the ix35 FCEV has won the award for becoming the first commercially available, mass-produced hydrogen FCEV. 1,000 units of the car will be built between now and 2015 at the company’s Ulsan manufacturing plant in Korea; these will be targeted predominantly at public sector and private fleets. Limited mass production of 10,000 units will begin in 2015, the date most major automakers have aligned on for the market introduction of FCEV.
The ix35 features a 100 kW fuel cell, 24 kW Li-polymer battery, has a top speed of 160 km/h (100 miles/h), and can travel 588 km (365 miles) on a single hydrogen refuel.