Although there are big obstacles ahead of them, Hyundai has big hopes for the future and has announced that they will start mass production of cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The company will begin building a hydrogen-powered Tucson ix SUVs at the company’s Ulsan plant in South Korea and their current aim is to sell 1000 of those zero-emission vehicles around the world by 2015. The immediate plan is that 15 of the new models will head to Denmark and two units to Sweden this April for municipal use.

Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Kim Eok-jo said, “We expect to realize an environmentally friendly era more quickly through the mass production of hydrogen fuel cell cars for the first time in the world“.

A hydrogen-powered vehicle is certainly good for the environment as it emits only water vapor after hydrogen is converted into electricity.

As for the performance of the vehicle, Bloomberg says that it lags behind its gasoline-powered rivals but gives a smooth driving experience. It produces 134 horsepower and accelerates from 0 to 60mph in just over 12 seconds. Hyundai says that the car can go for about 370 miles before there is a need for refuelling.

But refuelling is one of the problems as there is a scarcity of fuelling stations. Reports suggest that there are only 13 stations across South Korea, but more stations are also being planned. Another major problem is the production cost, with estimates suggesting a price tag of $200,000. In comparison, the standard Tucson costs $19,935. But the company is promising that the price can be lowered to around $50,000 by 2015 after the tech improves.

If all the problems are taken care of, finally we can take an eco friendly route by not relying too much on internal combustion engines. What do you think?

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When you think about it, this really makes a lot of sense. So many cars have push-to-start these days where the actual physical key doesn’t really matter all that much. All you need is something that can provide the appropriate signal and the NFC technology in compatible smartphones sounds like a perfect fit. Hyundai is aiming to replace traditional car keys with NFC-based apps by 2015. This wireless technology is likely an option, as some people will still want regular keys, but it is certainly intriguing.

But it’s not just about unlocking your doors and starting the engine. Hyundai wants to make it possible to set specific user profiles based on which smartphone is being used. In addition to opening the door, it might automatically set your seating and mirror positions, for example, and automatically switch to your favorite satellite radio station. And the cars would likely have an inductive charging plate to provide power to your mobile devices too.

I like it. There are already smartphone apps to work with compatible “smart” door locks, apps to pay for things, and apps to replace customer loyalty cards. It’s only a matter of time before we abandon traditional keys and wallets in favor of an all smartphone lifestyle.

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It has become pretty commonplace to see companies marketing how amazing the distant future will look thanks to their innovations, but with Swedish designers, Ergonomidesign, the future of medical technology isn’t some distant, vague concept and is instead just a few years away, 2015 to be precise, or so they claim at least.

The video above is titled The Future of Integrated Health Care and it paints a picture of what healthcare might look like in just a few years. While watching the video things might seem a little unreachable, but when you stop and think about the advances that have taken place with file and data sharing, it really doesn’t seem such a far away concept at all.

I have no doubt that technologies just like those seen in the concept will in fact start becoming a reality in 2015. Does that mean they will be commonplace anytime soon though? That will likely take another decade or more, I’d wager.

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