California doesn't suit everyone's tastes -- innumerable
out-of-staters will now happily run down everything that is geographically,
climatically, philosophically, and fiscally W-R-O-N-G with the Golden State.
But everyone knows ol' Cali is where it's at when it comes to alternative
propulsion. Actually, allow me to rephrase that. Everyone knows it's Cali's
front-page-making, trendsetting, big-money, coastal metropolitan sprawls that
spur on alt-propulsion's gallop. (Well, it's currently more like a trot.)
It's rather perfect, then, that Motor Trend is based in
influential Southern California. The Tesla Model S is everywhere, it seems; the
brand's pioneering Roadster still creeps up occasionally. Nissan Leafs,
Chevrolet Volts, and CNG-charged Honda Civics flaunt their white (Civic, Leaf)
and green (Volt) carpool lane stickers. The unmistakable BMW i3 and Fiat 500e
flock to the 405 freeway. On the H2 front, the Honda FCX Clarity occasionally shows
its face, there are Toyota Highlander FCHV-adv cameos (probably driven by
Toyota employees nearby), and I've seen exactly one (possibly lost)
Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell roaming our neck of the woods. Soon, Toyota's
bizarrely styled Mirai will take to the streets. But as of this writing,
there's only one electric vehicle on the market sucking down compressed
hydrogen that anyone can seek and acquire: the Hyundai Tucson
Fuel Cell. Naturally, "anyone" refers to Californians.
After a $2,999 down payment and for the price of $499 per
month over a 3-year lease, carefully prescreened (by Hyundai) drivers from Los
Angeles and Orange Counties can help move society another step closer toward
the long lusted-over hydrogen future. Funds willing -- $74.9 million in the
coffers last I checked -- there's a monetary incentive in the form of a $5,000
rebate through the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (sponsored by none other than
the California Air Resources Board).
Consider the Tucson Fuel Cell a
well-equipped Tucson
Limited FWD with the Technology Package ($29,875 total) and a few vital
changes. First, the Tucson FC loses the Tech Package's panoramic sunroof but
gains its own front grille. Then the multilink rear suspension, front anti-roll
bar, and 18-inch wheels get exchanged for a space-clearing torsion beam, an
11-percent thicker front anti-roll bar, and the 17-inch alloys from the
2010-2013 Tucson. Last, but certainly not least, the 100-kilowatt fuel cell
stack, 134-horsepower electric drive motor, and hydrogen reservoir supplant the
2.4-liter I-4 and 15.3-gallon fuel tank. Winter White is the sole paint choice
and the leather for the seats is cut in black. Maintenance is fully covered
under the manufacturer's At Your Service valet program (shared with the Equus
luxury sedan). Hydrogen fuel is complimentary courtesy of Hyundai, so customers can
pump in all the H2 their hearts desire.
Since the rumored true cost of assembling one Tucson FC is well in excess
of $100,000, lessees are getting a bargain, particularly when accounting for
the unusual driving and ownership experiences. As it's an EV, the Tucson FC was
exceptionally quiet and serene inside during our drive in the O.C., especially
since it relies on "low pressure" ambient induction to feed the fuel
cells. In contrast, air compressor noise permeated the Project Driveway
Chevrolet Equinox's passenger compartment. The Mirai and FCX Clarity
incorporate compressors too. The Tucson FC rides more
smoothly than the conventionally powered Tucson and carries a much greater
sense of heft. You sit up high, as one would expect from a crossover SUV, and
feel all the heaviness beneath your seated position.
There's a lot of weight. The Tucson FC's 4,101-pound
estimated curb weight is 720 pounds heavier (plus 21 percent) than a 2014
Tucson Limited FWD we had in for testing. The Mirai sedan isn't much better, as
it's 22.5 pounds lighter than the Tucson FC, about the weight of a large
Thanksgiving turkey. Our scales ascertained 4,369 pounds for a hydrogen Equinox
back in 2008; an FCX Clarity of the same vintage checked in at a Lotus-esque
3,571 pounds. Payload capacity is reduced from the Tucson Limited's 1,116
pounds to the FC's 859. As is cargo volume: 23.8 cubic feet to the Limited's
25.7 because the load floor is about an inch higher to accommodate the H2 tank.
But at least there's room for five inside the Tucson Fuel Cell's
straightforward, nicely furnished cabin (bum warmers for 4 out of 5 seats!) The
single biggest reason for the Volt to lose out on a prospective sale is its
four-seat arrangement. The John Q. Public that's embraced alt-propulsion has
made it clear that they can live and even fall in love with different refueling
routines, but they'd still like the package qualities of normal cars. The FCX
Clarity has four seats out of necessity; its fuel cell stack runs down the
spine of the car. The Mirai has four seats because Toyota had a weight target
and wanted to make sure the rear passengers had plenty of space.
I suspect there's another inescapable rationale for
anyone picking the Tucson Fuel Cell over the Mirai. I spent the majority of my
days driving our extended-stay Honda Accord Hybrid because I enjoy, among
myriad details, the anonymity it affords on the road. I just look like any
other schmuck who went out and bought one of the 356,785 Accords sold in the
U.S. this year (through November). In all likelihood, the Mirai will serve as
the poster child for the hydrogen fuel cell movement and therefore needs its
funky skin. But I have a hard time comprehending its exterior. Your least
car-savvy friend will muse aloud of the Toyota: "Something's…not right
here." Admittedly, the Hyundai
is visually more my speed.
Boy, speed is not one of the Tucson FC's virtues. Its H2
canister refills plenty quickly, capable of gulping 12.4 pounds of 10,000-psi
goodness in around 8 minutes (assuming the H2 dispenser is up to the task). The
quantity nets the CUV an EPA-endorsed range of 265 miles. And remember, the
fuel is free. The kicker is that with 4,101 pounds to lug and 134 hp at its
disposal, the crossover is restrained doling out acceleration. Hyundai quotes a 0-62 mph time
of 12.5 seconds (3.5 off the 151-hp Mirai's dash to 60 mph) and a top speed of
(going downhill?) 100 mph. In real-world driving, the Tucson FC handles itself
well in the city before onward motion falls off noticeably approaching freeway
speeds.
Accelerator pedal response is much crisper than in the last fuel cell
vehicles I put time in. Both the fuel cell versions of the Equinox and Kia
Mohave felt much more languid in comparison. (The two are also bigger and
heavier than the Tucson.) The electric motor isn't packing a lot of heat but it
delivers what it has swiftly. To offset how naturally not fleet of foot it is,
the CUV doesn't tiptoe, but shoots forward once you release the brakes from a
standstill. It surprised the hell out of me at first encounter. Some -- but not
all -- EVs with single-speed gear reduction and lack of torque converter simply
sit stationary at a stop with your foot off the brake pedal.
While it moseys at its own pace, the Tucson FC is a pro
at arresting its momentum. Four-corner discs are paired with a regenerative
braking setup, and a 0.95-kW-hr lithium-polymer battery acts as the CUV's
second energy reserve. The electric motor becomes a generator as the crossover
decelerates, allowing the battery (mounted underneath the cabin) to store
energy for later use. Rated for 32 hp, the battery assists the fuel cell stack
in powering the e-motor when the driver dials in for hard acceleration. The E
(Eco) and L (Low) "gears" on the patterned transmission gating (the
present Tucson has a straight-pull shift action) inspire more environmentally
conscious driving habits if the driver is into that.
My main point of contention is that, from a purely
technical viewpoint, the Hyundai
fuel cell system cedes packaging and power efficiency to Toyota and Honda. At
its 1.7 kW per liter fuel-cell volume-power density, the Tucson FC trails the
discontinued FCX Clarity (1.9 kW/L) and has 55 percent of the Mirai's rating
(3.1 kW/L). Honda's next fuel cell vehicle (due in 2016) has trained its
reticle on the 3.1 kW/L mark as well. As it's been offered in Europe as the
ix35 Fuel Cell since March 2013, and knowing the lease-only Tucson FC isn't the
long-term fuel-cell answer, I'm excited to see and experience Hyundai's follow-up.
Opinion aside, the sheer novelty of piloting something as
ahead of our times as the Tucson Fuel Cell is quite the sales proposition. The
instrument cluster shows how many times the H2 cistern has been refilled (twice
on our test Tucson) and an mpg-e readout. The precautions taken for the CUV
have been extensive too. Any accidents involving a Tucson FC require it to
travel to Hyundai
HQ in Fountain Valley, California, to inspect the powertrain, though the goal
is to eventually move all repairs to the dealers. With that said, let's all get
back to griping about there not being enough hydrogen fueling stations around.
Vehicles that mix hydrogen and air with a little magic (the magic of
electrolysis) and then squirt out water vapor but not carbon dioxide are
already upon us. And L.A. and Orange Counties, both F-rated for air quality by
the American Lung Association, will continue to be their eager and happy
receivers.
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