Kawasaki Kx85 2003 Rear Wheel #3325 on 2040-parts.com

Hyundai ix35 Hydrogen FCEV arrives in the UK

The first Hyundai ix35 Hydrogen FCEVs hit the road in London (pictured) The Hyundai ix35 FCEV is the world’s first hydrogen powered production car (although production is very limited at the moment) and the first five ix35 FCEVs are about to hit London’s roads. The hydrogen-powered ix35s are part of the London Hydrogen Network Expansion (LNHE) project which aims to build acceptance of hydrogen powered vehicles and build a proper hydrogen transport infrastructure, initially on London and the south east. Hyundai are actually planning to build 1,000 ix35 FCEVs over thye next couple of years, but the majority of those will be heading for Europe where the EU has a number of projects running to promote hydrogen use for road vehicles.

Volkswagen give the VW XL1 Ducati power

Volkswagen give the VW XL1 Ducati power It’s more than two years since Volkswagen rolled out the VW XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle as a demonstration of how light weight and low power can make for extremely economical motoring. But the silly mpg VW quoted for the XL1 – 313mpg – comes at a fairly horrible price, with the news at Geneva this year that the XL1 is heading for limited production, but with a price tag likely to be around £100k. Bit it seems that VW has found a new use for the XL1, and this time it’s not about extreme economy but more about real performance.

Peugeot 208 Hybrid FE (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

Here’s Peugeot’s salvo in the fight to make cars more economical: the 208 Hybrid FE. The supermini concept can achieve a claimed average of 112mpg (and a maximum of 141mpg), and emits only 49g/km of CO2. Peugeot is especially keen to point out it’s a conventionally shaped supermini with five seats, unlike VW’s own super-frugal XL1, which looks decidedly sci-fi in comparison, but has a smaller boot than a Ferrari 458… The 208 FE is 25% slipperier and 20% lighter than a regular 208, but that’s only part of the reason it allegedly achieves such eye-opening numbers at the pumps.