Hyundai Motor has begun the first tests of a fully-autonomous Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) on public roads in the US, having been granted a license by the US state of Nevada. The Korean car maker plans to evaluate partially and fully autonomous driving technologies, monitoring the car’s performance in real-world conditions, an important part of its roadmap for autonomous driving.

Two Tucson (ix35) Fuel Cell will conduct a detailed test program on public roads. They are equiped with advanced cameras (including around view monitor), radars (blind spot detection, smart cruise control), a Lidar and ultrasonic sensors.

Tae-Won Lim, Vice President, Central Advanced Research and Engineering Institute of Hyundai Motor Group, commented, “A great deal of research and rigorous product testing will need to be undertaken in order to make the ‘self-driving car’ a reality. Thanks to this license we will be able to accelerate the testing of our latest autonomous technologies. We are confident that our latest innovations, both for partially- and fully-autonomous driving, will ultimately make driving safer for all road users.”