Hyundai has delivered the first seven units of its Xcient Fuel Cell, the world’s first mass produced fuel cell electric heavy duty truck, to customers in Switzerland, with 50 due on the roads there this year.
The delivery also marks the official entry of Hyundai’s commercial vehicles in the European market, ahead of expansion into the North American and Chinese CV markets.
Go deeper with GlobalData
“The delivery of Xcient Fuel Cell starts a new chapter not only for Hyundai’s hydrogen push, but also the global community’s use of hydrogen as a clean energy source,” said In Cheol Lee, head of the commercial vehicle division.
Production capacity of the Xcient Fuel Cell will reach 2,000 units per year by 2021 to support its expansion into Europe, the US and China as demand for clean mobility grows. The increase in capacity will be backed by a US$1.3bn investment in addition to a previously announced USD 6.4 billion stake in establishing a hydrogen ecosystem to support creation of a hydrogen society.
In the US, Hyundai is collaborating with logistics leaders to supply mass produced fuel cell heavy duty trucks. Hyundai revealed the FCV HDC-6 Neptune concept Class 8 heavy duty truck at the North American Commercial Vehicle (NACV) Show in October 2019, hinting at what the future holds and its plans. To back this plan, Hyundai is working with companies to build a complete hydrogen value chain covering everything from hydrogen production and charging stations to service and maintenance. The North American market will also get a 6×4 tractor model. By 2030, Hyundai expects more than 12,000 fuel cell trucks to reach US roads.
Hyundai also is working with various parties in China, which aims to get 1m hydrogen vehicles on its roads by 2030 as the country’s hydrogen industry is on a sharp growth trend, creating massive potential. Initially, Hyundai will focus on China’s four major hydrogen hubs: Jin-jin-ji, Yangtze River Delta, Guangdong Province and Sichuan Province. It is currently discussing cooperative initiatives such as a joint venture with local partners.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataThree fuel cell electric trucks are scheduled for launch in China: a medium-duty truck in 2022, a heavy-duty truck in in a couple of years, and another heavy duty truck designed for China. With these models, Hyundai’s goal is to achieve aggregate sales volume of 27,000 units by 2030.
The seven customers who received the first batch of Swiss Xcient Fuel Cell trucks will haul payloads of consumer goods around the country, emitting nothing but clean water. The operations will be backed by a robust green hydrogen ecosystem.
In 2019, Hyundai Motor Company formed Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility (HHM), a joint venture with Swiss company H2 Energy. HHM also is partnering with Hydrospider, a joint venture of H2 Energy, Alpiq and Linde. The customers will be leasing Xcients from HHM on a pay-per-use basis that does not require an initial investment. Hyundai will take the success in Switzerland to broader European markets as it establishes products and partner networks in Germany, Norway, the Netherlands and Austria.
As part of its production expansion plan, Hyundai expects to supply 1,600 commercial fuel cell trucks by 2025. Currently, Coop, Migros, Traveco, Galliker Logistics, Camion Transport, F. Murpf and G. Leclerc Transport along with others have placed orders for the Xcient. They will be using the trucks to haul everything from food to cars around Europe.
To support the growing hydrogen ecosystem, Hyundai has a business case for more than 100 hydrogen fueling stations in Switzerland, which is enough not only for commercial vehicles, but also passenger fuel cell electric vehicles. Likewise, Hyundai plans to act as a sector coupler in bringing various players to the hydrogen value chain as part of its efforts to bring value.
The Xcient is powered by a 190 kW hydrogen fuel cell system with dual 95kW fuel cell stacks. Seven large hydrogen tanks offer a combined storage capacity of around 32.09 kg of hydrogen. The driving range per charge is about 400km which was developed with an optimal balance between the specific requirements from the potential commercial fleet customers and the charging infrastructure in Switzerland. Refueling time for each truck takes approximately 8-20 minutes.
