Hyundai’s hydrogen trucks clock up 10 million km of travel
Decarbonizing effects of Xcient Fuel Cell equal to planting 700,000 pine trees
Hyundai Motor Company’s hydrogen-powered truck Xcient Fuel Cell has surpassed 10 million kilometers in accumulated mileage in Switzerland, the South Korean automaker announced Wednesday.
The milestone came three years and eight months after the world’s first mass-produced hydrogenelectric truck began to hit the roads in Switzerland in Oct. 2020. Currently, there are 48 Xcient Fuel Cells in operation in the central European country.
The truck, which is equipped with a 180-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cell system and a driving motor boasting a maximum output of 350 kW, can drive up to 400 km per charge.
Hyundai Motor pointed out that its hydrogen-powered trucks have significantly reduced potential carbon emissions as they only emit water from driving unlike dieselpowered trucks producing carbon dioxides from driving.
According to the automaker, the 10 million km mileage achieved by its hydrogen trucks has the same impact as setting up a 508-hectare forest filled with 700,000 pine frees. The company added that if diesel trucks drove for 10 million km, they would have emitted about 6,300 tons of carbon dioxide, which would be equal to the amount that some 700,000 pine trees aged 30 years can absorb in a year.
Hyundai Motor said the driving experiences of the hydrogen truck drivers and their feedback will be used along with the trucks’ data to advance its hydrogen fuel cell technology.
As the Korean automaker reaffirmed its commitment to hydrogen production, transportation, storage and utilization, accelerating the transition to a hydrogen society, at the CES 2024 in January, the company said it plans to apply the hydrogen technology to various vehicles.