Hyundai Nexo made a record range of 778 Km in one tank

MANILA: Hyundai has just set a new world record for the longest distance travelled in a single full tank with its hydrogen-powered Nexo.

The Hyundai Nexo was driven by French aeronaut and president of the environmental foundation Solar Impulse, Bertrand Piccard, who drove from the FaHyence hydrogen station in Sarreguemines to the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace in Le Bourget, France.

He was chosen because as an advocate and champion for zero-emission travel, he has already made astonishing feats like travelling around the globe in a hot air balloon and a solar-powered plane.

But this time around, Piccard was not alone on his world-breaking road trip. Notable passengers were along for the ride namely Jean Rottner, President of the Grand Est Region in France; Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg; Michel Delpon,

MP for the Dordogne and President of the Hydrogen Study Group at the French National Assembly; Benoît Potier, CEO of Air Liquide; Bruno Le Maire, France's Minister of Economy and Finance; Elisabeth Borne, France's Minister of Ecological and Solidarity Transition; and S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco.

According to Piccard, “with this adventure, we have proven that with clean technologies, we no longer need revolutionary experimental prototypes to break records. Everyone can now do it with standard zero-emission vehicles. A new era in performance is beginning, for the benefit of environmental protection.”

Lionel French-Keogh, managing director of Hyundai Motor France, said of the world-record feat, “while some may doubt the relevance of hydrogen in tomorrow’s cars, we at Hyundai have believed in it since 1998 when we began our developments on this technology. Thanks to this record set by Bertrand Piccard, all doubt has been dispelled.”

He further adds that Piccard is the best man for the job. Not only because he is a charismatic character, but also because of his passion on raising awareness about climate issues adding “We share with him the conviction that it is possible to change our consumption in a sustainable way and hydrogen is an answer to this issue. We see respect for the environment as a vector for growth and not as an obstacle to innovation.”

Hyundai is one of the forerunners when it comes to alternatively powered vehicles and is the first automotive manufacturer to mass produce hydrogen-powered cars. Though electric and hybrid power vehicles dominate the zero-emissions category, Hyundai believes that hydrogen fuel cell is also worth looking into.

Hyundai Nexo

The South Korean automaker’s Nexo SUV is built on a dedicated platform and powered by an electric motor that is capable of delivering 161 Hp of power and 395 Nm of peak torque. The vehicle’s fuel cell system uses both oxygen and hydrogen to power the engine and charges the 1.56 Kwh high-voltage battery. According to Hyundai,

the fuel cell stack generates 95 kW of power, while the battery outputs 40 kW. The three fuel tanks have a combined capacity of 156 liters has a 666 km of range. But based on this new world record, it could go as far as 778 km. In terms of performance, the Nexo can go from zero to 100 km/h in 9.2 seconds and has a top speed of 179 km/h.

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