(November 14, 2016) Hyundai will hand over 60 ix35 Fuel Cell cars to the Paris-based electric taxi start-up STEP (Société du Taxi Electrique Parisien). Last week a memorandum of understanding was signed at the opening of a public hydrogen fuel station operated by Air Liquide at Hyundai Motor’s European headquarters in Offenbach, Germany.

The world’s largest fuel cell taxi fleet “hype” (Hydrogen Powered Electric) currently serves the Greater Paris Area with five ix35 Fuel Cell cars that Hyundai Motor delivered in December 2015. The fleet is planned to increase up to several hundred vehicles within five years.

“With the memorandum of today, STEP and Hyundai Motor have committed to bring 60 additional ix35 Fuel Cell taxis to the streets of Paris,” says Thomas A. Schmid, Chief Operating Officer at Hyundai Motor Europe. “Not only will the fuel cell taxis provide a clean transportation solution for the city, they are also a practical, comfortable and reliable choice for drivers and passengers.”

The 60 new ix35 Fuel Cell vehicles will not add to the 17,000 taxis already in circulation in and around Paris. They are replacing gas and diesel-powered cars.

Even when it is produced from natural gas, hydrogen is a far cleaner energy than any fossil fuel: for equal distance traveled, hydrogen cars reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% compared with internal combustion vehicles and do not produce any fine particles.

The ix35 Fuel Cell is the world's first mass-produced and commercially available fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). Currently there are more than 300 Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell cars on European roads in 12 countries. That is more than all the FCEVs of other manufacturers combined. Its powerful asynchronous electric motor generates 133 horsepower, and with a maximum torque of 221 pound-feet of torque it delivers a fun-to-drive experience. Thanks to its efficiency, the ix35 Fuel Cell’s range is up to 368 miles on a full tank.

The ix35 Fuel Cell deployed are partially funded by the Hydrogen Mobility Europe Project. Hydrogen Mobility Europe is funded by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), a public private partnership supporting research, technological development and demonstration activities in fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies in Europe.