Hyundai Construction Equipment-Hyundai Motor Sign Agreement to Develop 'Hydrogen Fuel Medium and Large Construction Equipment'

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Hyundai Construction Equipment is joining forces with Hyundai Motor Group to develop the world's first hydrogen fuel-based medium-to-large construction machinery.

On the 18th, Hyundai Construction Equipment announced that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for joint development of hydrogen fuel cell construction machinery, including hydrogen forklifts and medium-to-large hydrogen excavators, together with Hyundai Motor and Hyundai Mobis at the Mabuk Research Center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

Hyundai Construction Equipment will apply hydrogen fuel cells designed and manufactured by Hyundai Motor and Hyundai Mobis to excavators and forklifts, conducting design, manufacturing, and performance evaluation. The company also plans to launch and mass-produce related products starting in 2023.

Unlike lithium batteries, hydrogen fuel cells are easily scalable to large capacities, making them applicable to large forklifts and excavators. Additionally, hydrogen fuel cell construction machinery uses electricity generated from the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen as a power source, unlike conventional diesel engine-based equipment, resulting in zero harmful gas emissions. Due to the recent rapid increase in demand for eco-friendly equipment, Hyundai Construction Equipment evaluated that this will become a competitive advantage in the global construction equipment market.

With a dealer network of over 540 dealers in more than 140 countries worldwide, Hyundai Construction Equipment self-assesses that collaboration with Hyundai Motor, which possesses world-class hydrogen fuel cell technology, will establish a construction machinery ecosystem based on hydrogen energy.

Hwang Jong-hyun, Executive Director and Head of Industrial Vehicle R&D Division at Hyundai Construction Equipment, said, “Through this agreement, we have laid the groundwork to proactively secure core technologies in the hydrogen construction equipment sector. We will also lead the hydrogen energy construction machinery market by gaining an advantage in the global standardization process for certification and legislation for commercialization.”

Meanwhile, Hyundai Construction Equipment has been focusing its capabilities on developing eco-friendly construction machinery, having mass-produced the country’s first reel-type (wired method with an electric cable connected during operation) electric excavator in 2010, and developing the country’s first small electric excavator equipped with a large-capacity battery in 2018.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.