Hydrogen cars have spent years in the same waiting room as flying taxis. They’re always almost here, but no commercially available product exists for interested buyers. So when a Hyundai manager pushed back on the obituary, I was immediately curious.
To be clear, Hyundai hasn’t announced a new car. The big news here is that its Australian arm says hydrogen is “not dead” for passenger cars. Apparently, the automaker is still evaluating a next-generation hydrogen fuel-cell car if it can find buyers (via CarExpert).
Why is Hyundai still betting on hydrogen cars?
Hyundai’s case is energy security. Hyundai Australia’s Scott Nargar says the country should fuel transport with what it already has: sun, wind, and fossil fuels. If you ask me, that list describes the US just as well.
Hyundai’s hydrogen SUV, the Nexo, was certified for Australia last year and is expected in 2026, but it still hasn’t arrived. It’s unclear if Hyundai is still testing the Nexo or a brand-new model. The most important point, however, is cost.
Nargar concedes the technology “is not as cheap as electric.” Even for trucks, it carries “a considerable cost” over a gas or diesel one. Since US drivers treat trucks as a personality trait, I doubt hydrogen reaches our driveways anytime soon.
Why does Hyundai say tighter rules could make hybrids pricier?
Elsewhere, Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Scheme (NVES) penalizes carmakers whose emissions exceed CO2 targets. On January 1, 2027, the passenger-car limit drops from 117 to 92 grams per kilometer.
According to the CarExpert report, as many as 51 hybrid variants will exceed their targets, and only about seven escape, including a Lexus ES and RX that US shoppers will recognize.
Nargar says they undercut drivers who can’t afford an EV, can’t charge one, or can’t tow with one. Citing outside research, he warns pricier hybrids will keep them in older cars, a bad road safety and emissions outcome after Australia’s worst road toll ever.
Could cleaner cars become harder to afford?
That sounds a lot like US renters with nowhere to plug in: same problem, different postcode.
He also predicts “the haves and the have-nots,” and says NVES “should never determine what a customer should buy.” Hyundai has a horse in this race, but I buy the spirit of it.
For US shoppers, I’d read this as a warning label, not a forecast: tighter targets can quietly raise the price of the cheap first step.
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