Hyundai is keeping hydrogen passenger cars under consideration in Australia, but finding customers remains a central obstacle. Scott Nargar, the company’s Australian senior manager for future mobility and government relations, says evaluation of a next-generation fuel-cell car continues. His comments describe a local business decision, rather than a new worldwide product launch or evidence that hydrogen demand has disappeared everywhere.
Speaking to CarExpert, Nargar also acknowledged a cost disadvantage against battery-electric technology. He said interested customers exist, which matters when interpreting the headline: the issue is securing a viable customer base, not proving that nobody wants a hydrogen car. The interview provides no quantified demand survey, global sales forecast or confirmed Australian delivery date.
What Australia’s evaluation does and does not establish
CarExpert notes an unresolved detail: it is unclear whether the vehicle being evaluated is the current new-generation NEXO or another hydrogen model that Hyundai has not publicly revealed. That uncertainty should remain visible. Describing the interview as confirmation of an additional new NEXO generation would go beyond what the source establishes.
For a prospective owner, the evaluation also leaves commercial questions unanswered. Vehicle specification, market approval and an actual retail offer are separate steps. A buyer needs to know who will sell and maintain the car, which version is supplied, and where its fuel can reliably be purchased. None of those answers follows automatically from an executive’s continuing support for fuel cells.
NEXO’s electric motor is rated at 150 kW
Hyundai’s detailed release of 11 November 2025 describes an electric SUV whose onboard fuel-cell system uses stored hydrogen to generate electricity. It is not a hydrogen combustion engine. The traction motor is rated at 150 kW and 350 Nm, while the high-voltage battery stores 2.64 kWh and can deliver 80 kW of power.
Several different power figures appear in the manufacturer’s documentation. The fuel-cell stack has a gross rating of 110 kW; the net fuel-cell system output is 94 kW after supporting operations. Hyundai separately describes total system output as 190 kW. These figures refer to different parts of the powertrain and should not be substituted for the motor’s 150 kW rating in a comparison table.
The manufacturer lists up to 6.69 kg of usable hydrogen storage in three tanks with a combined internal volume of 162.6 litres. Its stated 7.8-second acceleration time from 0–100 km/h comes from internal testing of a Korean domestic version with 18-inch wheels and GL trim. It is an official manufacturer figure, rather than a Carboratory road-test result.
The range headline comes with a defined specification
The November release projects 826 km of WLTP range for the European model with 18-inch wheels. Hyundai explains that the estimate is derived from certified hydrogen capacity and certified efficiency data. It does not promise that every version will travel that distance on a motorway, in winter or under a different load.
The same release lists estimated hydrogen consumption of 0.81 kg/100 km with 18-inch wheels and 0.89 kg/100 km with 19-inch wheels. Its specification notes say the consumption figures were not finalised at publication. That qualification matters when calculating running costs: an indicative consumption figure and a locally verified hydrogen price are both needed, along with a realistic route to the pump.
Hyundai’s approximately five-minute refuelling claim also has boundaries. It refers to a fill above 95%, with actual time affected by station pressure and temperature, remaining fuel and ambient weather. It is a description of the refuelling operation under suitable conditions, not the total time an owner necessarily spends obtaining fuel.
A station outage is an ownership issue
Hyundai’s own US owner guidance addresses the possibility of a widespread hydrogen supply interruption. It tells NEXO drivers to contact an authorised NEXO dealer when local stations have no fuel because of a network-wide issue. Depending on the scale and duration, a dealer may arrange alternative transport, including a complimentary rental vehicle.
That is a US support provision, not an international entitlement. Its relevance is practical: fuel availability can determine whether the car can be used, even when the vehicle itself is working normally. A published station location does not by itself verify public access, opening hours or the fuel supply on a particular day.
The small onboard battery does not remove this dependency. NEXO’s fuel-cell architecture should not be treated as a battery-electric car that can simply switch to routine home charging whenever hydrogen becomes inconvenient. Buyers must examine the actual fuelling arrangements for their location instead of transferring assumptions from plug-in electric ownership.
The industry has not reached one verdict
BMW’s September 2025 industrial announcement sets out preparations for third-generation fuel-cell system production at Steyr from 2028. The programme involves joint powertrain development with Toyota. It is evidence of continued industrial investment, while the 2028 start remains the company’s announced schedule rather than a car available to order everywhere today.
Stellantis took a different position on 16 July 2025, discontinuing its hydrogen fuel-cell development programme. It cited limited refuelling infrastructure, high capital requirements and the need for stronger purchasing incentives, and cancelled its planned new hydrogen Pro One van range for that year. A decision about light commercial vehicles cannot serve as a direct measurement of NEXO demand, but the stated barriers are relevant to the wider business case.
Hyundai’s Australian comments therefore expose a gap between a technically developed vehicle and a sustainable retail market. The NEXO specification supplies concrete answers about the car. A viable ownership proposition still requires dependable fuel access, clear support arrangements and enough customers prepared to accept the resulting costs.
Photo: Hyundai Motor Company. Official imagery supplied for editorial use.
