Eleven years after George W. Bush announced that he was allocating more than $1 billion for hydrogen research, the hydrogen car is finally becoming a reality.
Hyundai recently announced its plans to sell its first hydrogen-powered automobile, and on Wednesday, the company will unveil details of the Tucson, an SUV powered by hydrogen fuel. It will be the first massed-produced auto of its kind in the U.S, the Associated Press reports. For years, safety concerns and problems with refueling delayed the roll-out of the hydrogen car, but Hyundai says the rear-mounted tank has passed numerous crash tests. Nine filling stations are currently operational in California, and the state legislature set aside $200 million per year to build 100 more by 2023.
During his State of the Union address in 2003, Bush said that “the first car driven by a child born today could be powered by hydrogen and pollution free.
Hyundai will unveil the Tucson at the Los Angeles Auto show on Wednesday.
[AP]