Hyundai Is Giving Away Hydrogen SUV’s To Certain Governments

Hyundai is one of the more ambition hydrogen developers of vehicles and now it’s being reported that ahead of a 2015 expected release date the company is giving away entire fleets of th SUV’s for testing purposes.

Unfortunately you can’t simply write Hyundai and ask for a fuel cell electric vehicle, rather they are being handed out to employees who work for the Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and Icelandic governments.

Hyundai is footing the entire bill for the project, which seems reasonable considering the amount of research data they will be able to gather from real world driving conditions.

Here’s the full press release Hyundai sent out about the project:

The Hyundai Motor Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with four Northern European countries to operate a test fleet of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) in the European market, paving the way to showcase the company’s competitiveness in eco-friendly vehicles.

The initial agreement was signed yesterday in Seoul, attended by Mr. Woong-Chul Yang, President of the Hyundai Motor Group’s R&D Center, Mr. Lars Vargö, the Swedish Ambassador to South Korea, and other government and company officials.

“We look forward to demonstrating our advanced eco-friendly technology in Northern Europe, which has great hydrogen infrastructure,” said President Yang. “This agreement will be a stepping stone for the Hyundai Motor Group to lead the FCEV market in Europe.”

In Northern Europe, the supply of FCEVs and construction of refueling stations are carried out by an agency called `The Scandinavian Hydrogen Highway Partnership (SHHP),’ which works closely with related agencies in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland.

FCEV is part of the Hyundai Motor Group’s multi-faceted approach to become most fuel-efficient and eco-friendly automaker in the world. Under Hyundai’s Blue Drive initiative, Hyundai has introduced a wide range of eco-friendly products and technologies, including hybrid vehicles and the BlueOn electric car.