500kW Hyundai Vision FK hydrogen sports car prototype revealed

September 7, 2021September 13, 2021 Toby Hagon 4164 Views Hyundai

Hyundai has revealed a 500kW high-performance hydrogen-powered sports car prototype to showcase the breadth of its fuel cell EV technology.

Part of Hyundai’s multi-billion-dollar investment into FCEV tech as it formulates its 2040 hydrogen vision, the Vision FK shows the sexier side of a fuel many see as more applicable to heavy-duty transport such as trucks and buses.

The Vision FK uses the still-under-development third generation Hyundai hydrogen fuel cell technology and is teamed with an electric motor and batteries developed in collaboration with Croatian EV specialist Rimac, which recently purchased Bugatti and is partially owned by Porsche. Hyundai invested in Rimac two years ago.

Hyundai Vision FK fuel cell EV prototype — 500kW from hydrogen: Hyundai is thinking fast and fun with its Vision FK FCEV prototype

“Our engineers combined a hydrogen fuel cell energy converter with a high power, rear-wheel drive plug-in PE system,” said Hyundai’s research and development head Albert Biermann in announcing the project.

As well as the fuel cell stack – fed by twin hydrogen tanks mounted above the rear axle – the electric motor powering the rear wheels is fed by a T-shaped battery pack that can be recharged externally.

The Vision FK is claimed to accelerate to 100km/h in less than four seconds and have a driving range of more than 600 kilometres.

Biermann describes it as “a bit of technical overkill but it is an exciting challenge for our ambitious engineers”.

“The packaging situation is extremely complicated, so we decided to collaborate with Rimac Autombili in which Hyundai Motor Group invested in 2019,” said Biermann.

Rimac is known for its battery and electric motor technology and the associated software. As well as creating its own Nevera hypercar, Rimac is supplying components to other fast machines, including the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Koenigsegg Regera. Rimac also now partially owns Bugatti, which will start making EVs using Rimac tech.

The big question is when the Vision FK will materialise as a production and/or race car.

Best guesses are it could first appear on the race track. Biermann regularly referenced racing and its challenges, as well as the ETCR electric touring car racing series in Europe that Hyundai already competes in.

It wouldn’t be difficult to imagine Hyundai creating a race car powered by hydrogen, especially as the famous Le Mans 24 Hour race is planning a hydrogen category – called MissionH24 – for 2024.

It would, after all, be a perfect endurance test and proof of concept for the third-generation fuel cell tech Hyundai has planned for 2023.

But something for the road is almost certainly somewhere in Hyundai’s long distance planning, too.

Hyundai is investing big in hydrogen, with plans to add a Staria FCEV to its expanding hydrogen fleet in 2023.

When the Vision FK – or its learnings – do materialise in some form of roadgoing performance machine, it’s on the wish list for Hyundai Australia.

“It looks like an incredible vehicle and one that we would love to introduce to the Australian market,” said Scott Nargar, Hyundai Australia’s Senior Manager of Future Mobility & Government Relations.