Many thousands of trucks roll on highways every day. This has an enormous impact on the environment because freight traffic is anything but clean. Hyundai Motor wants to change that, and it has delivered the first seven Xcient Fuel Cell trucks in Switzerland, Europe.
According to Hyundai, the Xcient Fuel Cell is the world's first mass-produced electric heavy-duty truck with a fuel cell drive. Hyundai sees the introduction of the Xcient Fuel Cell as key to the global expansion of fuel cell trucks into the European commercial vehicle market. It is considered a touchstone for the company's expansion into the North American and Chinese markets.
Seven Hyundai Xcient Fuel Cell trucks being delivered to Coop, Migros, Traveco, Galliker Logistics, Camion Transport, F. Murpf and G. Leclerc Transport each have a 190 kW(256hp) drive system with two 95 kW fuel cell systems. Fuel tanks offer a total storage capacity of 32.09 kg of hydrogen. The range of a full tank is 400 km. The fuel cell trucks can be refuelled in a maximum of 20 minutes.
In 2019, Hyundai Motor Company formed Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility (HHM), a joint venture with Swiss company H2 Energy. HHM has also partnered with Hydrospider, a joint venture of H2 Energy, Alpiq and Linde.
Customers rent XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks from HHM through a pay-per-use model that does not require an initial investment. Hyundai will bring Swiss expertise to other European markets as Hyundai establishes solutions and a partner network in Germany, Norway, the Netherlands and Austria.
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For the North American market, Hyundai is expected to introduce a 6x4 tractor unit with fuel cell drive. The South Korean company estimates that by 2030 there will be more than 12,000 fuel cell trucks on the roads of the United States.
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