Venucia, a collaboration between Dongfeng and Nissan, recently unveiled their USD $137,000 hydrogen fuel cell car, which is an emission-free reimagining of its V-Online internal combustion SUV.
The zero-emission vehicle is powered by H2 and a lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery.
The hydrogen fuel cell car is currently available only in a commercial demonstration form, to be displayed in one of the main districts of Guangzhou. It is not available to the public for purchase quite yet. The Venucia vehicle brand intends to pursue a gradual release strategy through which consumers will be able to eventually buy it if they want it.
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The design features a 60kW fuel cell and a 160kW motor. The H2-powered V-Online uses a FinDream LFP battery pack. FinDream is the battery arm of BYD. It takes about 5 minutes to refuel this vehicle, and on a full tank, it can travel up to 500 kilometers. In terms of mileage, the vehicle has a range of about 120 kilometers per kilogram of H2. It can safely and effectively operate at temperatures ranging from -40ºC to 60ºC. Its storage tank is 70 MPa.
This is the first hydrogen fuel cell car for the automaker collaboration, but not for the automakers.
Dongfeng has already been dabbling in the H2 sphere, having released the Qingzhou E-H2 back in 2020. That model was based on the automaker’s existing Aeolus AX7, which had its debut in 2018. The newer H2-powered vehicle was targeted for commercial applications and continues to be used as one of the hydrogen fuel cell car demos the automaker offers.
The Qingzhou E-H2 has a 500-kilometer range and an 80kW fuel cell. It requires about 3 minutes to fully refuel. Its mileage is about 100 kilometers per 0.751 kilograms of H2.
During the first three quarters of 2023, fuel cell vehicle makers in China produced and sold about 3,000 units. This represented a 25.2 percent increase in production and a 37.3 percent rise in sales. In September alone, there were 100 units of H2 commercial vehicles sold.
Dongfeng is not alone.
Dongfeng is not the only Chinese automaker that has been looking into hydrogen fuel cell cars. Others include Changan, which has made an H2-powered version of its SL03, as well as GAC Aion, which released an H2 version of its Aion LX. SAIC Maxus also has an H2 version of its MPV Euniq 7 available.
