Hyundai Motor’s new XCIENT truck raises hydrogen game in Europe

South Korea’s top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. has unveiled an upgraded version of its fuel cell truck XCIENT, turning up the heat on rivals in a race for the top spot in the hydrogen-powered vehicle segment.

With the latest model, Hyundai is particularly keen to enhance its presence in Europe, where governments are moving more aggressively to cut carbon dioxide emissions and offer hefty incentives for greener vehicles.

The company said in a statement on Tuesday that with design and performance updates, the new zero-emission heavy-duty vehicle will become even more attractive to corporate fleet customers all over the world.

“Hyundai Motor is leveraging more than 20 years of experience in fuel cell technology to further its version of an eco-friendly hydrogen society,” said Jaehoon Chang, chief executive of Hyundai Motor’s commercial vehicle division.

The new class of the XCIENT, the world’s first mass-produced fuel cell electric heavy-duty truck, is equipped with more efficient fuel cells with a longer lifespan.

Hyundai plans to begin mass production of the latest model in August.

The maximum driving range of the 2021 XCIENT Fuel Cell is set to be around 400 kilometers and refueling a full tank of hydrogen takes about 8 to 20 minutes, depending on the ambient temperature, it said.

FROM SWITZERLAND TO OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

With the launch of the enhanced model, Hyundai aims to accelerate the global advancement of its heavy-duty fuel cell truck.

The company has shipped a total of 46 units of XCIENT Fuel Cell to Switzerland since July 2020.

As of May 2021, the cumulative driving range of those trucks in operation reached over 750,000 kilometers. Over that distance, the hydrogen-powered trucks have reduced carbon emissions by an estimated 585 tons compared to diesel-powered vehicles, according to Hyundai.

 

The automaker said it will ship 140 more units of the truck to Switzerland by the end of this year as part of its plan to roll out a total of 1,600 heavy-duty fuel cell electric trucks in Europe by 2025.

Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility (HHM), a joint venture between Hyundai Motor and Swiss hydrogen company H2 Energy, has been renting out hydrogen trucks to commercial clients in Switzerland since last October.

The JV is currently working to take its fuel cell trucks to other European markets.

“There is a lot of interest for the truck outside Switzerland… We are very confident that we will see XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks on the road in other European countries next year,” said HHM Chief Executive Mark Freymueller.

According to a Reuters report, Germany and the Netherlands are the most likely nations Hyundai is looking to enter next. There is also interest for pilots from Austria, Norway, France, Italy, Spain and Denmark, the report said.

HYUNDAI AHEAD OF RIVALS IN HYDROGEN VEHICLES

Hyundai’s latest push is putting pressure on its global rivals, which are developing their own hydrogen-powered vehicles.

US truck maker Nikola Corp. and Italy’s IVECO S.p.A are said to launch their hydrogen fuel cell trucks in 2023, while Germany’s Daimler and Sweden’s Volvo plan to mass-produce such trucks in 2025.

Hydrogen has come into the spotlight in Europe, where its member governments want carbon dioxide emissions cut by a third by 2030 from 2019 levels, threatening potential diesel bans.

Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are more expensive than battery electric cars (BEVs), but proponents say for long-haul transport, hydrogen-powered trucks have the advantage because they have a greater range.

US, CHINA NEXT IN LINE FOR XCIENT

Hyundai Motor also plans to introduce its XCIENT truck to the North American market this year.

The automaker said it is in talks with several local governments and logistics businesses in the US to establish potential joint operations of hydrogen-powered vehicles for various purposes.

Under new rules, more than half of trucks sold in the state of California must be zero-emission vehicles by 2035 and all of them by 2045.

China is another nation that has a strong interest in heavy-duty trucks powered by hydrogen.

Hyundai said it is carefully reviewing multiple options to introduce its fuel cell technology to corporate and government customers in China.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.