Hyundai outlines its Hydrogen future

Dubbed the Hydrogen Wave, the HMG presentation debuted on the web with an underpinning commitment to popularise hydrogen by 2040 for “Everyone, Everything and Everywhere”.

And one of the key messages was that as a company, Hyundai would no longer invest in the development or research of commercial vehicles with an internal combustion engine. From now on, it would all be about investment in alternative fuels and propulsion systems, namely hydrogen.

“The degree and frequency of environmental disasters is rising fast and we now face a code red warning for humanity,” said HMG chairman Euisun Chung.

“The group seeks to offer powerful and pragmatic solutions for combatting climate change via the tremendous potential of hydrogen energy.”

Hyundai is currently selling limited numbers of the Nexo hydrogen fuel-cell SUV in Australia and has rolled out its first FCEV truck, the Xcient, for extensive trials in Switzerland.

An upgraded FCEV truck will arrive in 2023.

The presentation also included a Hyundai promise to dramatically improve FCEV technology by 2023 with new 100kW and 200kW third-generation fuel-cell systems and attain price equivalency with battery-electric vehicles by 2030.

Hyundai also showed a heavy-duty autonomous trailer drone concept similar to the Volvo Vera that we reported on a couple of years ago, and revealed its ambition to offer FCEV and battery-electric powertrains across its entire commercial vehicle range by 2028.

It also showed FCEVs for emergency relief and rescue missions.

HMG also wants to apply fuel-cell systems to “all types of mobility and furthering the technology to all other aspects of society including homes, buildings and powerplants as energy solutions”.

During Hydrogen Wave, the Group shared its plans to respond to climate change through hydrogen solutions, starting with the commercial vehicle sector, which emits larger amounts of CO2 compared to the passenger vehicle sector. As a result, the Group will launch all-new fuel-cell electric and battery-electric commercial vehicles such as buses and heavy-duty trucks onto the global market.

By 2028, the company expects to become the first global automaker to apply its fuel cell system to all commercial vehicle models.

Related reading:
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The Group has already started mass-producing a greatly improved version of the current Xcient Fuel Cell, the world’s first mass produced fuel cell heavy-duty truck. It is also developing a prime mover based on the Xcient Fuel Cell that will be released in 2023.

During Hydrogen Wave, the Group also unveiled the Trailer Drone concept, a hydrogen-powered container transportation system capable of operating fully autonomously, with a double e-Bogie configuration.

Through the development of hydrogen commercial vehicles, the Group said it will promote the complete transition of Korea’s public transportation and logistics systems to hydrogen-based solutions – with a view to setting the benchmark for the world.

In addition, Hyundai will fully ‘re-energise global’ commercial vehicle markets including Europe – which at present consists of 400,000 new units a year – through its advanced next-generation fuel cell technologies.

The Group will develop a 5- to 7-metre fuel cell PBV (Purpose Built Vehicle) to target the global light-commercial vehicle market projected for seven million unit sales per year by 2030.

Currently in development, the third-generation fuel cell stack will succeed the current Nexo stack. At the event, the Group showcased two versions of the third-generation fuel cell stack: 100kW and 200kW. The 100kW stack has reduced in size by around 30 per cent, making it 70 per cent in size compared to the current generation stack which will make it easier to apply to different vehicle types and applications. The 200kW version has been designed for heavier commercial vehicle applications and is similar in size to the current Nexo system, but with double the power.

High durability stacks for commercial vehicles will achieve 500,000 kilometres of drive range. Furthermore, the price of the third-generation fuel cell stack will be dramatically reduced – with projections being upwards of more than 50 per cent – which will be the key factor to achieving cost parity of FCEVs with BEVs by 2030.

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 1000km of range from a single charge, comparable to existing container transportation systems.

The autonomous capabilities of the Trailer Drone were not achieved by simply repurposing technology developed for passenger car applications. The unique requirements of container transport applications and the way container terminals operate meant that engineering teams from the Group needed to completely redefine how a container maneuvers. As a result, the engineering team developed the Fuel Cell e-Bogie.

The Fuel Cell e-Bogie sits under the container just like a rail bogie and is a fully enclosed system with fuel cell propulsion and fully independent four-wheel steering. The Trailer Drone concept requires two fuel cell e-Bogies, allowing for unprecedented manoeuvrability through sideways movement.

The Trailer Drone can move autonomously through portside operations and tight urban environments. Efficiency is further boosted by the ‘Cluster Mode’ which enables multiple Trailer Drones to travel together in an almost train-like configuration.