Hyundai is investing a lot in hydrogen. Having prototyped the Hyundai ix35 with a fuel cell in 2013 and more recently the Nexo, plans to offer hydrogen as a viable alternative to battery electric continue apace.

Hyundai, talking at its Hydrogen Wave forum, outlined ambitions to be able to present hydrogen fuel cell vehicles at a comparable price point to battery electric vehicles by 2030.

A new hydrogen fuel cell will be unveiled in 2023, which will replace the model currently in the Nexo. The third-gen fuel cell will come in two power versions - 100kW and 200kW - and it will be the 100kW version which makes its way into passenger vehicles.

The new 100kW fuel cell is some 30 per cent smaller than the current offering, while costs have been lowered by as much as 50 per cent.

The 200kW fuel cell is about the same size as the current generation, but is destined to power commercial vehicles, where Hyundai sees plenty of potential.

With high durability also a consideration, these fuel cell stacks could power a vehicle for 500,000 kilometres in their lifetime.

Hyundai sees hydrogen as a solution to many power needs and plans to launch a full range of commercial vehicles including buses and trucks. These will be appearing from Hyundai by 2028.

For those who don't know, hydrogen fuel cells use hydrogen to generate electricity - they don't burn the hydrogen. In essence, once you get past the fuel cell's generation of electricity, hydrogen vehicles drive very much like any other electric car.

The advantage they offer is the potential for faster refuelling. Filling hydrogen tanks on the vehicle is faster than recharging a battery, but there's very little infrastructure for hydrogen at present.

Beyond vehicles, Hyundai is also looking at hydrogen for other energy solutions, domestic and commercial, fuel cell generators and different formats for use in different vehicle types.