Fiat Chrysler to Develop Hydrogen Engines with Hyundai

Dec. 5, 2017—Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) revealed that it’s in talks with South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. about a partnership to develop hydrogen engines, according to Business Mirror.

The alliance, which would also cover transmissions, could become “a strong one,” Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said last Saturday at the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese, near Milan.

“We welcome the interest from other automakers in our advanced transmissions and hydrogen-powered technologies,” Hyundai said in an e-mail on Monday.

Cooperation on hydrogen propulsion would come despite electric-powered autos being established as the dominant technology in the emerging post-fossil fuel era.

Hyundai initially led the commercialization of fuel-cell vehicles, though it has fallen behind Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp. in terms of sales, while Fiat backed away from hydrogen power earlier this decade.

“There is the potential of a technical partnership with Hyundai, which already supplies some components and transmissions for the United States,” Marchionne told reporters after a presentation on Alfa’s planned Formula One (F1) return. “Let’s see if we find a deal to develop transmissions and hydrogen.”

Marchionne, a vocal proponent of automaker consolidation, having led Fiat’s takeover of Chrysler, said there is no likelihood of a merger with Hyundai.