Hyundai's NEXO fuel cell SUV delivered to its first U.S. driver

Hyundai's NEXO fuel cell SUV delivered to its first U.S. driver. December. 31, 2018 07:33. by Eun-Taek Lee nabi@donga.com.
Hyundai Motor's Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles Nexo has met up with its first driver in the United States. The Korean automaker held an event on Friday (local time) in Van Nuys, California, to deliver the first Nexo to its first local driver, who is known to be a retired businessman, Todd Hochrad.

Reportedly, he owned an engineering business and retired in the early 2000s. Hyundai Motor introduces the first Nexo customer as an enthusiast for eco-friendly vehicles such as EVs and hybrid cars over the past 15 years. He chose the Hyundai Nexo as his first FCEV.

Hyundai Motor has put priority on FCEVs while carrying out various promotion and marketing programs across the United States. With the release of the Nexo in the U.S. market this month, the Korean automaker posted outdoor signages to promote the fuel cell SUV in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Michael Fisher, one of the famous U.S. YouTubers, who is followed by more than 720,000 subscribers, recently posted a footage of himself driving 1,440 kilometers in his Nexo from Mexico to Lake Tahoe, California from Nov. 26 to Dec. 2. “Hyundai Motor has constantly promoted the Nexo as the ultimate eco-friendly model in the U.S. as well as European market,” a Hyundai executive said.

U.S. auto magazine "Ward's Auto" selected Nexo this month among the world’s top 10 engines of 2019. The Hyundai Nexo was also graded the highest score of five stars in the NCAP, Europe’s safety assessment program on newly released cars.