“Building a Hydrogen Ecosystem” Hyundai Motor Unveils Commercial Mobility Vision

Goal to Unveil Large Trucks and Build Value Chain in North America

Hyundai Motor Company announced on the 3rd that it has unveiled a large hydrogen electric truck specialized for the North American market and revealed its hydrogen commercial mobility vision.

The company participated in the North America's largest clean transportation expo, 'ACT Expo 2023,' held from the 1st (local time) to the 4th in Anaheim, California, USA, showcasing the mass production model of the 'XCIENT Fuel Cell Tractor.' It also shared its strategy for targeting the North American eco-friendly commercial vehicle market.

Xcient Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck Tractor
[Photo by Hyundai Motor Company]

This XCIENT model was developed to suit the characteristics of the North American region, where long-distance driving is common. It is a large 6x4 (two of the three axles are driven) truck with a gross vehicle weight of 37.2 tons. It is equipped with a 180 kW-class hydrogen fuel cell system and a 350 kW-class drive motor. It can travel over 720 km on a single charge under maximum load conditions.

Hyundai emphasized that building a 'hydrogen value chain' encompassing hydrogen supply, leasing and financing, fleet operation, maintenance, and services is the core and vision of its North American eco-friendly commercial vehicle business.

To this end, the company plans to continuously strengthen cooperation with local partners. These include Hyundai Glovis (vehicle operation), Macquarie (leasing and financing), FEF (hydrogen supply), and Pape (maintenance). The Hyundai Motor Group Meta Plant America (HMGMA), a new electric vehicle-dedicated factory to be established in Bryan County, Georgia, will also be actively utilized as a new business testbed. A logistics system centered on hydrogen electric trucks will be built within the factory.

[Photo by Hyundai Motor Company]

Ken Ramirez, Vice President of Hyundai Motor's Global Commercial & Hydrogen Fuel Cell Business, expressed expectations for fuel cell technology and hydrogen energy, stating, “Hydrogen enables a sustainable society along with eco-friendly mobility, and I firmly believe it is one of the most powerful and practical solutions to realize the vision of ‘Progress for Humanity.’”

He added, “Hyundai has led the industry by proving the efficiency and durability of fuel cell technology, and especially, the XCIENT Fuel Cell Truck has earned global customers' trust by accumulating over 6.5 million kilometers of driving distance over three years. We will not only innovate hydrogen mobility by extensively applying fuel cell technology to commercial vehicles, marine vessels, and aerial mobility but also establish an integrated hydrogen ecosystem covering hydrogen production, storage, and transportation.”

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