ANAHEIM, California– Hyundai Motor Company recently premiered its new XCIENT Fuel Cell tractor, the commercialized class 8 6×4 fuel cell electric model, at the ongoing Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo inside the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.
Together with the tractor, the Korean company is also exhibiting its hydrogen fuel cell system at North America’s largest advanced transportation technology and clean fleet event.
At Hyundai Motor’s press conference, Ken Ramirez, executive vice president and head of Global Commercial Vehicle and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Business at Hyundai Motor, emphasized the importance of achieving carbon neutrality to realize the company’s vision of ‘Progress for Humanity.’ He spoke of the company’s strong commitment to hydrogen mobility and shared its ambition to foster the development of a clean hydrogen ecosystem.
“We firmly believe that hydrogen is one of the most powerful and pragmatic solutions for achieving our vision of ‘Progress for Humanity’ with emission-free mobility as a fundamental pillar for a sustainable society,” said Ramirez.
“Our hydrogen fuel cell technology has pioneered the industry, with a real-world proven track record of its efficiency and durability.”
Also at the press conference, Mark Freymueller, senior vice president and head of Commercial Vehicle Business Innovation at Hyundai Motor, revealed the company’s plan for XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks, underlining the company’s local partnerships to form a solid hydrogen value chain as building blocks toward accelerating the deployment of clean fleets in the US.
“For years, we have been initiating hydrogen value chains in various regions. Together with our partners, we are making hydrogen mobility a viable solution for our customers. We go beyond the truck itself to include areas such as hydrogen refueling and truck maintenance,” Freymueller said.
The company aims to foster partnerships and future businesses to provide fleet operation solutions for hydrogen truck customers and expand the hydrogen value chain in the US, using its initial business entry as a bridgehead.
Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA), the dedicated electric vehicle factory being built in Georgia, will be equipped with cutting-edge technologies that can produce up to 300,000 EVs annually and an innovative production platform, developed and demonstrated by the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center in Singapore (HMGICS). Through it, the Metaplant will incorporate an eco-friendly logistics system integrating hydrogen fuel cell trucks and a complete hydrogen value chain.
XCIENT Fuel Cell’s proven record for reliability and capability
First launched in 2020, XCIENT Fuel Cell has been deployed in five countries, including Switzerland, Germany, Israel, Korea and New Zealand, and has successfully accumulated over four million miles, so far. It is the only heavy-duty fuel cell electric model with a proven record of real-world application and technological reliability.
The model shown at the event is the 6×4 tractor equipped with two 90 kW hydrogen fuel cell systems (total 180 kW power) and a 350 kW e-motor. Its gross combination weight is a maximum 82,000lbs and offers a driving range of over 450 miles per charge even when fully loaded.
XCIENT Fuel Cell implements the world-leading hydrogen fuel cell system offered by HTWO, Hyundai Motor Group’s hydrogen energy dedicated business brand. HTWO’s business includes application of Hyundai’s proprietary fuel cell systems for various forms of mobility, such as advanced air mobility, automobiles, vessels and trains, as well as for stationary power generation.
Martin Zeilinger, executive vice president and head of Hyundai Motor’s Commercial Vehicle Development said that the company has been focusing on hydrogen for over 20 years.
“Our advanced fuel cell technology already is in use through various applications and especially in the commercial vehicle sector, showing its powerful performance and reliability.”
Hydrogen’s potential in the commercial vehicle sector and beyond
Hyundai Motor views hydrogen as the clean energy solution for CVs, including energy-intensive heavy-duty trucking, due to their various advantages in production, transportation, distribution and storage. Hydrogen is an energy carrier with high density that allows FCEVs to provide sustained energy output suitable for long-haul driving and carrying heavy loads. FCEVs enhance work and infrastructure efficiency compared to battery electric vehicles (BEV) by minimizing downtime with quicker refueling.
With the US, the government’s significant support and more players entering the hydrogen market, Hyundai Motor is confident that the total cost of ownership for FCEVs will drop considerably, and that climate change and supply chain issues will accelerate the transition to clean energy sources.
