Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell SUV
A Hyundai Tucson hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) is driven during a photo op in Newport Beach, California, June 9, 2014. REUTERS/Alex Gallardo

The race for creating the most environment-friendly commercial car has begun and new players are joining in every day. After General Motors, Nissan and BMW, it is Hyundai’s turn to compete with the likes of Tesla and Faraday.

Hyundai might be working on the next version of its Tucson fuel cell SUV. Given the increasing competition in the eco-friendly vehicle industry, the company is upping the ante — its Tucson IX SUV will do 348 miles on a single tank of hydrogen, Nikkei Asian Review reported, citing sources.

Instead of taking the electric vehicle route, Hyundai has chosen to improve on its existing hydrogen fuel cell technology. The new Hyundai Tucson IX is expected to provide 30 percent better mileage than the current model. It might also beat Toyota Mirai, which currently has the best range of 312 miles in this segment. In terms of engine technology, only Honda’s Clarity fuel cell has a better range of 366 miles.

The Hyundai fuel cell SUV is expected to be launched in January 2018 at a price of around $50,000, Nikkei reported.

The company is also reportedly working on a fuel cell-based commercial bus and an all-electric sedan, Ioniq, both of which are expected to be launched within this year.

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