Hydrogen-powered Hyundai fuel cell replacement cost

author: FutureCar Staff    

The owner of a hydrogen-powered Hyundai ix35 in Germany is seeking a replacement for his unconventional SUV after receiving a repair quote of almost 104,000 Euros ($AU175,000) to fix its faulty fuel cell.

The German owner of the Hyundai ix35, which runs on hydrogen power, has been hit with a staggering bill to replace the vehicle's fuel cell. The repair cost is so astronomical that the hydrogen-powered SUV will likely be taken off the road.

According to Auto Bild, the car's owner, Till Westberg, had driven approximately 84,000 kilometers in the Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell before it failed to start one day. He then had the car towed to an authorized workshop, where he was given a quote of almost 104,000 Euros to fix the broken hydrogen fuel cell.

For comparison, in Australia, the C8-generation Chevrolet Corvette Stingray starts at $175,000 plus on-road costs, and the same amount of money can buy a BMW M4 manual or a Porsche 718 Boxster.

Mr. Westberg reportedly purchased the Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell for 50,400 Euros in late 2015, which is equivalent to 66,500 Euros ($AU111,500) when adjusted for inflation. This is about 60% of the cost quoted for the repair.

In an interview with Auto Bild, Mr. Westberg mentioned that he bought the hydrogen-powered ix35 despite living more than 100 kilometers away from the nearest hydrogen filling station. He found the car's driving range of 450km to 500km to be "extremely suitable for everyday use."

While Mr. Westberg believes that Hyundai should take back the car, even though its five-year warranty has expired, a spokesperson for the car-maker stated that "such a repair no longer makes economic sense."

The ix35 Fuel Cell was produced by Hyundai between 2013 and 2018 as their third-generation hydrogen-powered vehicle. Hyundai's local division in Australia had one example of the hydrogen SUV in its press fleet to showcase the technology and even installed a hydrogen filling station at its headquarters in Sydney.

After the production of the ix35 Fuel Cell ended, Hyundai introduced the Nexo, which is currently being used by the ACT and Queensland Governments, as well as Queensland Police. However, both the Hyundai Nexo and its hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai rival are not available for private buyers and are instead offered to government and business fleets on multi-year leases.

Jordan Mulach, a Canberra/Ngunnawal native now residing in Brisbane/Turrbal, joined the Drive team in 2022. He has previously worked for various automotive publications and describes himself as an iRacing addict.

FutureCar Staff