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The future of environmentally clean cars is taking a significant step forward.
Korea's largest automaker Hyundai Motor has announced that, for the first time, it will
start mass producing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
Ji Myung-kil has the story. This sports utility vehicle is being loaded with fuel.
But it is not any kind of fuel it's hydrogen.
Once the car is fully loaded it can drive up to 600 kilometers at speeds of up to 160
kilometers an hour.
How is it different from regular, gas-guzzling cars?
Well, this car is almost completely silent as the car generates energy from the reaction
of hydrogen and oxygen in its fuel cell.
The car only emits water as it converts hydrogen into electricity.
Korea is one of the first countries in the world to start mass producing hydrogen fuel
cell cars and Hyundai's popular utility vehicle, the Tucson iX, will be the vehicle platform
for its new version of hydrogen cars.
Hyundai says it is two years ahead of its rivals like General Motors and Toyota.
"This has great meaning for us as we are the first automaker in the world to start mass
producing hydrogen fuel cell cars. Our competitors currently lack the manufacturing facilities."
So how much does it cost? At the moment, a lot, around 138-thousand U.S. dollars.
"We still lack the infrastructure so hydrogen cars are relatively more expensive. We also
lack hydrogen refueling stations."
Hyundai says it is confident the price will drop quickly as it prepares to manufacture
up to ten-thousand hydrogen cars each year.
Company officials say the selling price will eventually settle at around 92-thousand dollars.
The auto-industry has reportedly asked the Korean government to build more hydrogen refueling
stations nationwide to encourage people to switch to these green cars.
Hyundai Motor will start mass production from this Friday at their plants in Korea's southeastern
city of Ulsan.
Ji Myung-kil, Arirang News.