SAN FRANCISCO – Hyundai Motor America has launched the Hyundai Drive 4 Hope, a cross-country journey aimed at demonstrating the environmental advantages and performance of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) while also contributing to the national fight against pediatric cancer.

A Hyundai FCEV Tucson serves as the official car of Hope on Wheels, Hyundai’s major pediatric cancer program. The car will travel more than 4,500 miles coast to coast for kids with cancer. During September, National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Hyundai Hope on Wheels will award a total of $7.1 million to children’s hospitals nationwide.

During its national tour, the Hyundai Tucson FCEV team will stop at hospitals across the country, collecting colorful handprints from childhood cancer patients and survivors along the way. By the end of September, the vehicle will have collected hundreds of handprints from children around the country, each representing a personal story about a child’s battle with this deadly disease.

After its kickoff with a handprint ceremony at University of California, San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital on Sept. 1 – the first of 71 hospitals to receive $100,000 Hope Grants – the Hyundai Tucson FCEV set out to travel over 4,500 miles through more than 15 states in under 30 days.

“Hyundai is committed to bold and innovative change to make the world a better place,” said John Krafcik, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. “Through Hope on Wheels, we are making great strides in the treatment of childhood cancer and through our leadership in fuel cell technology, we are making bold strides for a cleaner planet.”

As part of the company’s fuel efficiency strategy, the Hyundai FCEV tour will showcase the efficiency and advantages of Hyundai’s next-generation fuel cell electric vehicle technology. The Hyundai Tucson FCEV uses fuel cell power from compressed hydrogen, an energy source that is not only renewable but far safer than gasoline, the company said. The FCEV Tucson performs about the same as a vehicle on gasoline.

“Fuel cell technology is one of the lowest carbon footprint power solutions in the automotive industry and it has the potential to be a zero carbon solution,” said Michael O’Brien, vice president of product and corporate planning of Hyundai Motor America. “Several manufacturers are actively exploring fuel cell technology, but Hyundai is making it a reality with the ability to begin factory production of fuel cell cars and trucks in the next several years.”

For more information about Hyundai’s fuel cell electric vehicle technology, click here. For more information about Hyundai Hope on Wheels, this year’s Hope Grant recipients, and how you can get involved, click here.