Hyundai NEXO Breaks World Record of Longest Distance Travelled by a Hydrogen-Powered Vehicle on a Single Tank!

An Australian team driving Hyundai’s only hydrogen SUV, the NEXO fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) has broken the world record for the longest distance travelled in a hydrogen-powered vehicle on a single tank. The record was set previously by aeronaut Bertnard Piccard, which was at 778 kilometres.

Australian Hyundai rally driver Brendan Reeves traveled 887.5 kilometres, starting from Essendon Fields in Melbourne before driving his way through Broken Hill and Silverton, a town located on the outskirts of Broken Hill known as the setting for the 1980s post-apocalyptic action film Mad Max 2. The car then travelled an extra 60 kilometres beyond before the tank was depleted on the Wilangee road past Eldee Station. 

"Being a rally driver, I've always wanted to achieve a world record, but I could never have guessed it would come about this way. As we set out from Essendon Fields in the early morning, I found Nexo immediately familiar and easy to drive - the controls are intuitive and easy to use, the driving position excellent and seats very comfortable. Nexo is in its element on the open road, with its long range, peaceful and refined cabin, and smooth, near-silent fuel-cell electric powertrain." said Reeves. 

According to Hyundai, the trip took around 13 hours and six minutes with an average speed of 66.9 km/h. Nexo’s first low fuel warning first appeared during the 686 kilometres mark, with over 200 kilometres of range left from there. The fuel light then started flashing after 796 kilometres, with 90 kilometres of real range remaining. 

During the trip, the vehicle consumed 6.27 kilograms of hydrogen at a rate of 0.706kg/100km resulting in 449,100 litres of air purified on the journey - sufficient for 33 adults to breathe for a day. It emitted zero CO2, where a standard Internal Combustion Engine vehicle would have emitted around 126 kilograms of CO2 with the same distance. 

“I was constantly checking the Nexo’s efficiency readout to maximise the distance I was getting per kilogram of hydrogen. I found that by using techniques from rally driving, such as looking as far down the road as possible, as well as tips I have learned from my dad for driving a truck efficiently over long distances, it’s actually possible to go way beyond Nexo’s official range.” Reeves added. 

The NEXO, Hyundai’s first hydrogen-powered car certified (ADR) was launched back in 2019 with prices starting at $59,000 (RM244,378). Since then, it has taken the Californian market by storm with approximately 400 to 500 units running in the state currently, while being the first fuel cell electric vehicle to be awarded the maximum five-star overall safety rating by Australia’s ANCAP.