Hyundai and University College London (UCL) are collaborating to confront London’s dirtiest driving route. The journey includes areas such as Westminster, Kings Cross, Deptford, and Elephant & Castle. Their teamwork in this research is to raise awareness about the concerning pollution levels. It’s part of Clean Driving Month and happens to coincide with the release of NEXO – Hyundai’s next-generation Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle that cleans the air as it drives.
Just one NEXO driving for an hour could purify 26.9 kilograms of air, says Hyundai. That’s the same amount that 42 adults breathe in an hour. Scaling up, if there were 10,000 NEXOs on the road, it would consequently have a carbon-reducing effect equal to planting 60,000 trees! The futuristic SUV has a fantastic driving range of up to 414 miles and comes equipped with the latest advanced driver assistance systems.
Cleaning The Air
Hyundai invited journalists to drive the dirty route in a NEXO. The route was determined by an analysis conducted by the university researchers. UCL carefully examined open source data from a London pollution study administered in the capital by King’s College London (KCL). Particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels were singled out – the areas showing the highest amounts of these pollutants becoming part of the route. As a matter of fact, the roads picked out, as part of the dirtiest driving excursion, exceed safety limits set by the EU.
Senior researcher Michael Whiteley, of UCL, gave his take on the experiment:
We’ve done lots of research around fuel cell technology and believe that it’s an interesting transport solution to consider as we look to the future of driving. We decided to team up with Hyundai to create the dirtiest driving route to raise awareness of the pollution on our roads and highlight the role fuel cell technology can play.
Taking NEXO on a test drive through these dangerously polluted streets was the perfect opportunity for Hyundai to show off the car’s advanced air purification system. According to the Korean manufacturer, the system filters out an impressive 99.9% of extra fine dust. And here’s the fun part, you can see the ongoing results as they are dynamically conveyed on a display panel on the dashboard!
After they drove the car through the entire route, they removed the filter and now have it on display at UCL so everyone can see how grubby the thing became in that short period.
Hyundai’s senior product manager for NEXO, Sylvie Childs, said:
We are all concerned about air quality and what affects it. At Hyundai, we are committed to improving the efficiency and environmental performance of all our vehicles and have been investing billions in bringing a full range of low and zero-emission vehicles to the market place. We believe that the availability of alternatives, like the NEXO fuel cell electric vehicle, will bring the UK closer to its zero-emissions future.
However, the responsibility for this cannot only rest with us, the manufacturer. We need the government to invest equally in incentives and infrastructure that would enable Brits to have better choices when it comes to the car they drive and how it can fit into their lives.
Future Plans
Hyundai is providing the public with the opportunity to take the NEXO for a test drive around their homes for one hour. It wants people in London to get a taste of the vehicle’s air cleaning potential. It also wants to show off how the only thing coming from the tailpipe is water. Of course, there are many other benefits to the clean SUV, all of which the company is confident people will love once they get behind the wheel.
