This could be big for Hyundai. That’s because the first examples of its hydrogen fuel cell semis are on their way to Switzerland as you read this story. It’s real! “XCIENT Fuel Cell” is a present-day reality, not a mere future drawing board project.
By putting this groundbreaking vehicle on the road now, Hyundai marks a significant milestone in the history of commercial vehicles and the development of hydrogen society.
The Hyundai XCIENT semi trucks is powered by a 190-kW hydrogen fuel cell system with dual 95-kW fuel cell stacks. They’re fed by an array of large hydrogen tanks storing about 32 kg (approx. 70 lbs.) of hydrogen.
That makes each XCIENT Fuel Cell good for about about 400 km (250 miles) of range. Crucially, the trucks can be topped off with hydrogen in 8-20 minutes.
They are focused on Switzerland largely because the Swiss LSVA road tax on commercial vehicles doesn’t apply to zero-emission trucks, thus nearly equalizing the hauling costs per kilometer of the fuel cell truck compared to a regular diesel truck, while allowing the ZEVs access to city centers that diesels are no longer allowed in.
Hyundai plans to roll out a total of 1,600 XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks by 2025, reflecting the company’s environmental commitment and technological prowess as it works toward reducing carbon emissions through zero-emission solutions.
Meanwhile, neither Nikola or Tesla have delivered a single truck. And, depending on who you believe, it’s possible that one of those companies hasn’t even built one yet. That’s what makes the Hyundai fuel cell truck real news.
Reference- Hyundai Online Newsroom, Bloomberg, CNBC, Clean Technica