- The all-new Hyundai Nexo has more power and bigger hydrogen tanks.
- It can drive over 435 miles on a full tank.
- The problem? Finding hydrogen fueling stations.
This is the all-new Hyundai Nexo. If it looks familiar, it’s because it’s exactly like the Initium concept revealed late last year. From the rear, it looks like a modern Pontiac Aztek, which isn’t exactly a compliment, but overall, the mid-size crossover is quite a looker.
It has Hyundai’s now-signature pixelated headlights up front and a chunky stance, which is different from all the egg-shaped crossovers out there. In this case, different is good. But leaving looks aside for a moment, we need to talk about the elephant in the room.
The second-generation Hyundai Nexo is a fuel cell electric vehicle, or FCEV. This means it’s powered by hydrogen, just like the slow-selling Toyota Mirai. In theory, powering a car with hydrogen is a great idea because there are no tailpipe emissions and fueling up takes roughly five minutes.
In reality, California–the biggest market for FCEVs in the world–has taught us that the fueling infrastructure is this technology’s Achilles’ heel. Just like in the case of all-electric cars, if you don’t have where to top-up, you’re just the owner of a paperweight. Fueling up with hydrogen is quite expensive and there are very few stations.
The previous generation Nexo was a low-volume product at best, with roughly 4,000 sales worldwide in 2024 and another 4,000 in 2023. It debuted in 2018, and now, Hyundai reckons it’s time for an all-new model. Can it beat the odds this time around? We’ll have to wait and see, but at least when it comes to technical specifications, the new Nexo seems to be a polished all-rounder.
The FCEV’s powertrain got significant upgrades over the outgoing model. The hydrogen fuel stack now delivers a maximum power of 110 kilowatts, a 16% increase compared to the old Nexo, while the new electric motor can deliver up to 150 kW (201 horsepower). The old Nexo had a 120 kW (161 hp) motor.
Photo by: Hyundai
The onboard high-voltage battery can now hold up to 2.64 kilowatt-hours of energy and provide up to 80 kW of power, whereas the old model had a capacity of 1.56 kWh and could deliver just 40 kW of power.
One very cool feature of the new Nexo is its vehicle-to-load capability. That’s something we’ve become accustomed to with Hyundai’s EVs, but in the case of the Nexo, things are a little different. There’s a household socket inside the car to power things like laptops or other devices, but there’s also an outlet outside. This essentially transforms the car into a hydrogen-powered generator that doesn’t emit any nasty gasses when it’s running. Hyundai didn’t say how much power can be exported through the two outlets, though.
Photo by: Hyundai
The hydrogen tanks–all three of them–got a bump in capacity and can now store a maximum of 6.69 kilograms of hydrogen, while the maximum volume is 162.2 liters. The outgoing Nexo had a tank capacity of 156.6 liters and 6.33 kilograms, respectively.
According to Hyundai, the new Nexo can drive over 435 miles (700 km) on a full tank of hydrogen. That figure was produced using the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy standard. By comparison, the outgoing model had a maximum EPA range of 380 miles (611 km) on a full tank.
This all sounds really good. It means that Hyundai’s hydrogen-powered crossover could be used as a daily driver and even on road trips. But the biggest hurdle remains the fueling infrastructure.
Inside, the new Nexo can seat five people. Up front, there’s a pair of curved 12.3-inch displays running Hyundai’s latest Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) system–the same that’s on the 2025 Ioniq 5. It supports over-the-air (OTA) software updates and offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, as well as smart navigation that shows real-time information about en-route hydrogen fueling stations.
A 12-inch head-up display shows autonomous driving data and rear-side safety alerts, and there’s a premium Bang & Olufsen sound system with up to 14 speakers on offer. A dual wireless smartphone charger is on the center console.
The second-generation Hyundai Nexo will go on sale globally later this year as “a testament to [Hyundai’s] leadership in the global hydrogen market.” Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but we know that the outgoing model started at around $60,000, so we expect the new Nexo to have a similar MSRP.
