2026 Hyundai Nexo prototype proves hydrogen is here to stay

Earlier this month, BMW confirmed that it will launch a hydrogen-powered car in 2028 with the help of Toyota, but two years before that, we will welcome Hyundai’s second-generation Nexo SUV.

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The new Nexo’s curves have been replaced with sleeker, more purposeful straight lines, and the SUV’s practicality seems to have been enhanced thanks to a slightly more upright rear. The boxy styling shows family links to the new Santa Fe from the B-pillar onwards, but the Nexo’s shorter wheelbase and pronounced waistline curvature behind the rear doors make the two cars easily distinguishable.

RELATED: 2026 Hyundai Nexo will run on green gas, heading towards a fuel cell future

When the 2026 model sheds its heavy camouflage next year, we expect to see a full-width light bar across the front of the car. But the placement of the taillights on this prototype suggests the rear end is very different from the design seen in early (unverified) sketches, which had the taillights located on either side of the windows.

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Hyundai has not yet released any information about the new Nexo’s powertrain, but it’s reasonable to assume that the new Nexo will be more powerful and have a longer range than the current SUV. The new Nexo has just 161 horsepower (163 PS / 230 kW) and 291 lb-ft (395 Nm) of torque, and an EPA range of 380 miles (611 km). Some sources claim that the new Nexo’s range will increase to 497 miles (800 km).

The original Nexo went on sale in the US in 2018, before coming to the UK the following year and Australia in 2021. But it’s a rarity as US sales have been limited to California, where gas station supply is better – though not as good as it was after Shell closed a number of stations earlier this year.

In January, Hyundai announced two hydrogen production methods at CES in Las Vegas, waste-to-hydrogen and plastic-to-hydrogen. The waste project involves converting food and livestock manure into biogas, which is then processed to capture hydrogen, while its sister project creates the gas by melting non-recyclable plastics.

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Image: Baldauf