The Hyundai Motor Group plans to popularize hydrogen by 2040 through various technologies and mobility solutions.
The group’s central target to fully apply its commercial vehicle line-up with fuel cells by 2028 will make it the first global automaker to realise such ambitions for commercial vehicle transportation.
“The Hyundai Motor Group’s vision is to apply hydrogen energy in all areas of life and industry such as our homes, workplaces and factories. The goal is to make hydrogen readily used for everyone, everything, and everywhere,” said Chung.
“We want to offer practical solutions for the sustainable development of humanity and with these breakthroughs, we aim to help foster a worldwide Hydrogen Society by 2040.”
The group has been preparing for the future of hydrogen since the development of its first fuel cell vehicle (FCEV) in 1998. In 2013, the Tucson FCEV (ix35 Fuel Cell) was introduced, opening the door to mass production of FCEVs. Then, in 2018, the company launched the next-generation fuel cell SUV, the NEXO, and the world’s first heavy-duty fuel cell truck, the XCIENT Fuel Cell, in 2020.
The Hyundai Motor Group’s vision is that by 2040 hydrogen energy will be used not only for transportation but also in wider areas of industries and sectors.
The group aims to make hydrogen energy available to “Everyone, Everything and Everywhere”.
As a result of such findings, the group will launch all-new commercial vehicles such as buses and heavy-duty trucks for the global market as fuel cell electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles. By 2028, the company expects to become the first global automaker to apply its fuel cell system to all commercial vehicle models.
The group will develop a 5 to 7m fuel cell PBV (Purpose Built Vehicle) to target the global light commercial vehicle market projected for sales of 7 million units per year by 2030. Fuel cell systems are not only being used commercially for vehicles such as the NEXO SUV, Elec City Bus and XCIENT Fuel Cell truck, but also have the potential for deployment across diverse applications by 2040, including high-performance vehicles, urban air mobility, robots, aircraft and large ships.
Trailer drone
The trailer drone concept is a hydrogen-powered container transportation system capable of operating fully autonomously. With the number of intelligently packaged hydrogen tanks tailored to the journey profile, the flexible and efficient trailer drone ensures more than 1 000km of sufficient range from a single charge, comparable to existing container transportation systems.
Hydrogen future: new energy for a new society
As a responsible member of the global community, Hyundai Motor Group will continue to develop hydrogen mobility, expand the production system of fuel cells and establish infrastructures for a global hydrogen society.
“The degree and frequency of environmental disasters is rising fast and we now face a code red warning for humanity,” said Chung at the global online forum. “The group seeks to offer powerful and pragmatic solutions for combatting climate change via the tremendous potential of hydrogen energy.”
Source: roodepoortrecord
