Seen many times as one of the most poluted city in Europe, Paris always thinks at different ways to reduce CO2 emissions and one of the most difficult traffic problems.
Hyundai wanted to help Paris drivers and to benefit from increase popularity for one of its most recent model launched on the market. The Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell was delivered to the Paris-based electric taxi start-up STEP (Société du Taxi Electrique Parisien). The handover coincides with the opening of the first hydrogen refuelling station in Paris, launched as the world focuses on COP21, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, held in the French capital.
The delivery consists in five ix35 Fuel Cell versions and, believe it or not, it is the world’s largest fuel cell taxi fleet, and the first step in establishing a hydrogen-powered electric taxi fleet called “hype” (Hydrogen Powered Electric), serving the Greater Paris area. The fleet is planned to increase up to several hundred vehicles within five years, with the refuelling infrastructure to be gradually installed in 2016, to meet the increasing demand for hydrogen.
Compared to a diesel-powered taxi with CO2 emissions of 135 g/km and an annual mileage of 100,000 kilometres, the ix35 Fuel Cell vehicles will save around 70 tonnes of CO2 per year in exhaust emissions. The only emissions from the tailpipe of the ix35 Fuel Cell during driving are water vapour.
Hyundai Motor will introduce and certify a specialised Hyundai fuel cell dealership, to service the growing taxi fleet. With this latest delivery of fuel cell electric vehicles, the number of ix35 Fuel Cell on European roads has passed 250 units. The ix35 Fuel Cell was the first hydrogen-powered car to be mass-produced and offered for sale in Europe.
The examples already on European roads have covered more than 1.2 million kilometres. By the end of 2015, the model will be available to buy or lease in 13 European countries.
