Hyundai Motor Company and Ministry of Environment Sign MOU for Hydrogen Electric Truck Pilot Project

[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] Hyundai Motor Company is strengthening cooperation with the Ministry of Environment to promote a pilot project for the distribution of hydrogen electric trucks.

On the 20th, Hyundai Motor signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen mutual cooperation for the pilot project of hydrogen electric truck distribution with related organizations and companies including the Ministry of Environment, CJ Logistics, and Hyundai Glovis at the CJ Logistics Okcheon Hub Terminal located in Okcheon County, Chungbuk.

The signing ceremony was attended by key officials including Han Sung-kwon, President of Hyundai Motor, Hong Jung-gi, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Environment, Jung Seung-il, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Son Myung-soo, 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Jung Tae-young, Vice President of CJ Logistics, Jeon Geum-bae, Executive Director of Hyundai Glovis, and Park Dae-jun, CEO of Coupang.

This MOU was carried out in accordance with last year’s government plan reflected in the 'Hydrogen Economy Activation Roadmap' to convert diesel trucks to hydrogen electric trucks. The collaboration will cover the entire hydrogen industry ecosystem, including expanding the production and distribution of hydrogen electric trucks, expanding charging infrastructure, and promoting support policies for wider distribution.

Hyundai Motor Company's hydrogen electric truck

To this end, the parties to the agreement plan to continue mutual cooperation to prepare a roadmap for zero-emission trucks by the end of the year, seeking advice from industry experts. First, Hyundai Motor will develop a 10-ton class hydrogen electric truck, originally exported to Switzerland, in a domestic specification, launch it domestically in 2021, and deploy it in the pilot project. From 2021 to 2022, five hydrogen electric trucks will be deployed to conduct pilot projects on the Gunpo-Okcheon route and in the metropolitan area, and after improving vehicle performance, full-scale mass production and distribution of hydrogen electric trucks will begin in 2023.

The Ministry of Environment will set subsidies for purchasing hydrogen electric trucks, and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will support development and demonstration for performance improvement of hydrogen electric trucks. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will prepare fuel subsidy support plans to reduce the operational burden of hydrogen electric trucks. Logistics companies such as CJ Logistics, Hyundai Glovis, and Coupang will actively work to convert diesel trucks to hydrogen electric trucks by purchasing hydrogen electric trucks and deploying them on logistics routes as pilots.

This public-private collaboration system signifies that the center of hydrogen electric vehicle distribution is expanding from passenger cars to commercial vehicles, marking the full-scale expansion of the hydrogen fuel cell system ecosystem. A Hyundai Motor official said, "Through this MOU signing, we expect the greening of the commercial vehicle sector to accelerate further," adding, "As a finished vehicle manufacturer, we will focus on vehicle development and maintenance support to accelerate the distribution of hydrogen electric trucks."

Hyundai Motor has recently been continuing cooperative projects with domestic and international companies and local governments to expand the application of hydrogen fuel cell systems to various industrial fields. In 2018, it signed a supply contract with Swiss company H2Energy for large hydrogen electric trucks (refrigerated vans and general vans) based on the Xcient, and last year, it signed a supply agreement for hydrogen fuel cell systems in the North American commercial vehicle market with Cummins, a global leader in engines and generators from the United States.

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