While some automakers have directed a huge chunk of their revenue to the research and development of new hydrogen-powered cars, other have said a definite ‘no’ to this technology.
Volkswagen is part of this group, as they are not interested in launching a fuel cell vehicle, at least not with their Passenger Cars division in the near future, Autocar learned, after speaking to the company’s technical chief, Matthias Rabe.
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2014 VW Passat HyMotion
“As a group, we look in that direction, but for Volkswagen in the near future, it’s not an option”, Rabe answered when asked about the possible implementation of the fuel cell technology into its passenger cars. Furthermore, the exec believes that hydrogen’s best application in the automotive field is in commercial vehicles, as it takes just a few minutes to fill the tank of a truck or a bus and the only emissions are water vapors.
Now, VW may not be interested in launching a hydrogen-powered car, as their sole focus these days is on the expansion of the ID family of electric vehicles, which is led by the new ID.3 compact hatchback, but Audi remains an important player in this field. The Ingolstadt brand has been experimenting with this technology for a few years now, implementing it in different models and constantly refining it. Thus, Volkswagen pretty much has the tech available at its disposal for when they change their mind, and they probably will, as even Matthias Rabe said “in the near future” when denying rumors of a hydrogen-powered model.
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