Hydrogen-powered Hyundai owner faces $175,000 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 repair cost is so astronomical that the vehicle will likely be taken off the road.

Till Westberg, the German owner of the Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell, had driven approximately 84,000 kilometers before the car failed to start. He took the car to an authorized workshop, where he was given the expensive quote to repair the broken hydrogen fuel cell.

For comparison, in Australia, a 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 originally purchased the hydrogen-powered ix35 for 50,400 Euros in late-2015, which is about 60% of the quoted repair cost when adjusted for inflation.

Despite living more than 100 kilometers away from the nearest hydrogen filling station, Mr. Westberg chose to buy the ix35 Fuel Cell because of its driving range of 450km to 500km, which he found "extremely suitable for everyday use."

While Mr. Westberg believes Hyundai should take back the car, the car-maker's spokesperson 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. Although it was not sold in Australia, Hyundai's local division had one example of the hydrogen SUV in its press fleet to showcase the technology.

Hyundai launched the Nexo after the production of the ix35 Fuel Cell ended. The Nexo is currently used by the ACT and Queensland Governments, as well as the Queensland Police. However, neither the Nexo nor its hydrogen-powered rival, the Toyota Mirai, are available for private buyers. They are instead offered to government and business fleets on multi-year leases.

Source: Jordan Mulach is Canberra/Ngunnawal born, currently residing in Brisbane/Turrbal. Joining the Drive team in 2022, Jordan has previously worked for Auto Action, MotorsportM8, The Supercars Collective and TouringCarTimes, WhichCar, Wheels, Motor and Street Machine. Jordan is a self-described iRacing addict and can be found on weekends either behind the wheel of his Octavia RS or swearing at his ZH Fairlane.

FutureCar Staff