Hyundai appoints Sustainable Fuel Development boss
2014-12-09 06:17:04
Robin Hayles has been appointed by Hyundai Motor UK to the newly created role of Sustainable Fuel Development Manager. This means that Hayles will be responsible for leading the development and delivery of Hyundai’s ambitious Fuel Cell and sustainable fuels strategy.
Hayles has been with Hyundai UK for the past 10 years and has held a number of roles since he joined the company in 2004. Most recently, he was the Product Manager for ix35, Santa Fe, i800 and iLoad. In this role, he was responsible for managing the viability study of the ix35 Fuel Cell vehicles in the UK. This confirmed his position as the ideal candidate for the new role since his previous responsibility meant that he had collected a thick black book of contacts within Government and industry bodies.
Hayles told EcoCars4Sale: “I am delighted to be appointed Hyundai Motor UK’s first Sustainable Fuel Development Manager, providing the business with a dedicated resource to build upon the substantial progress we have already achieved. We will continue to push forward with our plans for large scale deployment of fuel cell electric vehicles in the UK. Today’s announcement from Government shows its commitment to the introduction of fuel cell electric vehicles and the necessary refuelling infrastructure which reaffirms Hyundai's decision to make the UK one of our most important launch markets. ix35 Fuel Cell is the first series production FCEV on the market and has received significant interest from businesses across the UK. I look forward to continuing discussions with our customers and the first UK customer deliveries in the weeks ahead.”
Martin Wilson, Fleet Director, Hyundai Motor UK, told us: “Robin’s appointment adds valuable insight and experience into our team, further supporting our efforts to meet the high expectations of business and fleet customers. Sustainable and alternative fuel solutions have never been more important to our customers, and this appointment together with our current and forthcoming class-leading products will enable us to meet future demand.”
The company says that the creation of the new position highlights Hyundai’s commitment to driving forward plans to bring Fuel Cell technology to the UK passenger vehicle market. More than that, it will also continue its endeavours to explore other sustainable fuel technologies.
The Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell is the world’s first full-production fuel cell vehicle. Its unique position in the market has meant that it has played a key part in London’s Hydrogen Network Expansion project. With zero emissions, the ix35 Fuel Cell is able to be driven for up to 369 miles on a single cell before it needs to be refuelled. The process of refuelling is a quick and easy process and is, says the company, akin to refuelling a traditional petrol or diesel vehicle.
This article has been prepared by First4Auto exclusively for EcoCars4Sale.
Reported By
Andrew Merritt-Morling
Chief Editor
