Toyota and Hyundai are temporarily stopping hydrogen car sales

Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB Scanpix

Both Toyota and Hyundai in Norway have stopped selling hydrogen cars in anticipation of more information about the hydrogen explosion in Sandvika on Monday.

According to Teknisk Ukeblad, Toyota Norway are offering Toyota owners free loans for other cars while the filling stations are closed.

“We don’t know exactly what happened on the Uno-X drive yet, so we don’t want to speculate. But we have stopped the sale until we have learned what has happened, and for practical reasons, since it is not possible to fill fuel now,” says information manager Espen Olsen in Toyota Norway.

He emphasizes that the incident does not hinder Toyota’s hydrogen investment.

“This does not change our view of hydrogen, and it is important for us to point out that hydrogen cars are at least as safe as ordinary cars. The hydrogen tanks themselves are so robust that you should be able to shoot them with a gun without igniting them,” says Olsen.

Hyundai is the second supplier of hydrogen cars in Norway. Market director Christian Stenbo states that they also temporarily stop the sale.

According to Teknisk Ukeblad, 51 hydrogen cars were sold in Norway in 2018, compared with 55 the year before.

The explosion occurred at the Uno-X station in Sandvika at 5.30 pm. No one was seriously injured.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today

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