Hyundai Motor Comp.'s hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle made its debut in the U.S. Tuesday.
California resident Timothy Bush was the first to receive the Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell CUV, and will pay $499 per month for it, according to PC Magazine. The South Korean automaker is offering free hydrogen refueling to Bush, and other customers, who lease the car.
Hyundai said its green vehicle "represents the next generation of electric vehicles" since it doesn't plug in charge up as a traditional EV does. The hydrogen generates electricity to power the car. The company added that there are zero greenhouse-gas emissions since the car only emits water vapor.
The Tucson Fuel Cell only comes in white, and is built at Hyundai's Tucson plant in Ulsan, South Korea. Company officials said the vehicle is not available for sale yet, Reuters reported.
The car has a driving range of 265 miles, as well as a small amount of cold-weather effects. It takes about 10 minutes for the car to refuel.
The Tucson Fuel Cell has a start/stop mode that turns off the fuel-cell stack and instead uses battery power, saving energy in the process. The battery also charges the motor during braking, PC Magazine reported.
Hyundai is offering the vehicle first in Los Angeles and Orange County because of the location of the public hydrogen refueling stations. However, the company added that California had approved plans to spend the next several years building up to 100 hydrogen refueling stations in the state. The California Energy Commission also proposed $44.5 million for Hyundai to build 28 new hydrogen stations and a mobile refueler.
For now, customers can lease the Tucson Fuel Cell for $499 a month and a $299 down payment, Reuters reported.
Hyundai did not say how many fuel cell vehicles it will make this year, or how many orders have been placed for the cars.
