Hyundai Motor received a total of 733 preorders on the first day of opening for its Nexo, the automaker’s latest sport utility vehicle powered by fuel cells, the company said Tuesday.

The number of preorders is three times more the number of vehicles subject to the government’s subsidy, reflecting its popularity, officials said.
 

The central government has allocated 22.5 million won each in subsidies for 240 fuel cell vehicle buyers, with local governments providing separate support ranging from 10 million to 12.5 million won.

With both subsidies that amount to approximately around 35 million won, customers can buy a regular Nexo model for 33.9 million won and a premium version for 37.2 million won.

“Nexo seems to have driven public interest as it represents Hyundai’s leading fuel cell technology as well as its eco-friendliness as a zero-emission car,” the company said in a statement.

Nexo is a successor of the Tucson FCEV, the carmaker’s first fuel cell SUV launched in 2013. The latest model can drive nearly 600 kilometers per charge, and has an air purifying system.

According to the carmaker, one Nexo unit can purify polluted air enough for a total of 43 adults to breathe. A thousand Nexo units can also purify air to the same effect as 60,000 trees.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)