I wet my pants (almost) when I read the news about the Hywet. The Hywet hydrogen fuel cell hybrid car will be the first fully commercial vehicle of its kind in the world to roll out to the general public when it hits showrooms in Denmark this August.
The Hywet fuel cell is a small 2-seater capable of achieving 50 mph and with a range of 100 miles. The Hywat contains a 13 kw electric motor that provides the primary power for the vehicle from its lithium-ion batteries. When the batteries run low the fuel cell kicks in to recharge them.
The cost for the Hywet will only be around $37,000 US, which is comparable to other midsize vehicles in Denmark and the Hywet has already been afforded tax-free status by the government. The Hywet is based upon a buddy car, the all electric Kewet, which was also developed in Denmark and is currently being manufactured in Norway.
The Hywet was developed by a consortium of public-private companies including Heat, Serenergy, Cemtec, the Municipality of Mariagerfjord and the University of Aalborg. So, one can plainly see that the Hywet is not all wet when it will be offered as a fuel cell vehicle to the public, for the first time ever. The Hywet is also affordable to the middle class, which has been a major concern of the critics of hydrogen cars.
I bet, Hywet will go over great with the Danes.