Hyundai Motor Group Successfully Develops Hydrogen Forklift... Commercialization in 2023

Hyundai Mobis introduced a video of a hydrogen forklift utilizing a hydrogen fuel cell system at CES held in Las Vegas, USA, earlier this year.

Hyundai Mobis, Joint Development with Hyundai Motor and Hyundai Construction Equipment
Medium-to-Large Forklift Capable of Lifting Up to 5 Tons of Cargo

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Hyundai Mobis has succeeded in developing a hydrogen energy-powered forklift in collaboration with Hyundai Motor and Hyundai Construction Equipment. The newly developed hydrogen forklift is scheduled to begin its first operation for a demonstration project in the hydrogen regulatory free zone early next year, aiming for commercialization in 2023.

On the 24th, Hyundai Mobis announced that it has successfully developed a prototype hydrogen forklift jointly with Hyundai Motor and Hyundai Construction Equipment and will proceed with a demonstration project for performance evaluation. This achievement came seven months after the three companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in February for the joint development of construction equipment applying hydrogen fuel cells.

Following hydrogen electric vehicles (passenger cars and trucks) and hydrogen emergency power generators, the hydrogen fuel cell system is now being utilized in the construction equipment sector, and it is expected that its applications will expand to various industrial fields such as hydrogen ships and trains in the future.

The newly developed hydrogen forklift is a medium-to-large forklift capable of lifting cargo weighing up to 5 tons and can operate continuously for 5 hours on a full hydrogen charge. While small hydrogen forklifts for carrying small items indoors have been introduced before, this is the first time a medium-to-large hydrogen forklift has been developed. The hydrogen forklift is equipped with the hydrogen fuel cell system that Hyundai Motor Group mass-produced for the first time in the world. In this process, Hyundai Mobis independently developed a ‘fuel cell powerpack’ optimized for the hydrogen forklift.

The hydrogen forklift developed this time will be unveiled for the first time at a customer invitation demonstration scheduled within this year, and will subsequently undergo full-scale pilot operation in regulatory free zones and hydrogen pilot cities such as Ulsan. To this end, Hyundai Mobis and Hyundai Construction Equipment have reportedly agreed to conduct a hydrogen forklift demonstration project in the Ulsan Hydrogen Green Mobility Regulatory Free Zone. Based on the results of the demonstration project, they plan to discover pilot projects where hydrogen forklifts can be utilized, such as ports, airports, and logistics centers, and explore various measures for entering overseas markets.

A Hyundai Mobis official explained, “There are many fields around us where hydrogen fuel cell systems can be applied besides automobiles,” adding, “We will discover various new business models to accelerate the era of hydrogen popularization.”

Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Mobis, and Hyundai Construction Equipment are jointly developing a hydrogen excavator following the hydrogen forklift, and plan to develop and showcase a prototype within this year. The hydrogen excavator is also targeting commercialization in 2023 after undergoing demonstration evaluation and pilot projects.

Hyundai Motor Group is already fostering its hydrogen fuel cell system, recognized as the world’s best technology, as a strategic business and is advancing into the global market. In July, it began exporting the world’s first mass-produced hydrogen electric truck, and recently achieved export success of hydrogen fuel cell systems overseas.

Since 2017, Hyundai Mobis has established a mass production system for hydrogen fuel cell systems and is responding to business expansion in the hydrogen fuel cell field. Hyundai Mobis currently has the capacity to produce hydrogen fuel cells for 23,000 vehicles annually and plans to expand this to 40,000 vehicles per year by 2022.

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