Hydrogen-powered Hyundai owner faces $175,000 fuel cell replacement cost.

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【Summary】The owner of a hydrogen-powered Hyundai ix35 in Germany received a quote of $175,000 to replace its faulty fuel cell. The repair cost exceeds the initial purchase price of the vehicle, which was €50,400. Despite the car's five-year warranty being expired, the owner believes Hyundai should take it back. However, the car-maker stated that repairing it is no longer economically viable. The ix35 Fuel Cell was produced from 2013 to 2018 and had a driving range of 450km to 500km.

FutureCar Staff Aug 17, 2023 9:35 AM PT

Hydrogen-powered Hyundai owner faces $175,000 fuel cell replacement cost.

The owner of a hydrogen-powered Hyundai ix35 in Germany is seeking a replacement for his unconventional SUV after being quoted a staggering 104,000 Euros ($AU175,000) to fix its faulty fuel cell. The repair cost is so astronomical that the car will likely be taken off the road.

The car's owner, Till Westberg, had driven approximately 84,000 kilometers in the hydrogen-powered Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell before it failed to start. After being towed to a local authorized workshop, Mr. Westberg received a quote of almost 104,000 Euros to repair the broken hydrogen fuel cell.

Comparatively, the Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell was purchased by Mr. Westberg for 50,400 Euros in late-2015, which is about 60% of the quoted cost of repair. Despite living far from the nearest hydrogen filling station, Mr. Westberg found the car's driving range of 450km to 500km to be extremely suitable for everyday use.

Although Mr. Westberg believes Hyundai should take back the car, a spokesperson for the car-maker stated that "such a repair no longer makes economic sense." The Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell was produced between 2013 and 2018 and was Hyundai's third-generation hydrogen-powered vehicle.

While the hydrogen ix35 was not sold in Australia, Hyundai's local division had one example of the hydrogen SUV in its press fleet to showcase the technology. They even installed a hydrogen filling station at their headquarters in Sydney. Following the end of production for the ix35 Fuel Cell, Hyundai introduced the Nexo, which is currently being used by government and business fleets.

The Hyundai Nexo and its hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai rival are not available to private buyers, as they are only offered to government and business fleets on multi-year leases.

Jordan Mulach, a self-described iRacing addict, is a member of the Drive team since 2022. He has previously worked for various publications such as Auto Action, MotorsportM8, The Supercars Collective, TouringCarTimes, WhichCar, Wheels, Motor, and Street Machine. Jordan is based in Brisbane/Turrbal and was born in Canberra/Ngunnawal.