Hyundai Motor has upgraded the design of its hydrogen powered XCIENT Fuel Cell heavy-duty truck today (May 25) in addition to revealing its intention to introduce the truck to Europe, North America and China.
With an updated deign and performance, Hyundai hopes that the zero-emission heavy-duty truck will become an even more appealing option to corporate fleets with production planned in August 2021 for this updated model.
In the enhanced model, seven large hydrogen tanks offer a combined storage capacity of around 31kg of fuel, while three 72kWh high voltage batteries provide an additional source of power.
The maximum driving range of 2021 XCIENT Fuel Cell is set to be around 400km with refuelling taking about eight to 20 minutes, depending on the ambient temperature.
With the launch of the enhanced model, Hyundai plans to accelerate the global roll out of its heavy-duty fuel cell truck in line with its 1,600 units by 2025 target for Europe.
46 units of the XCIENT Fuel Cell had been shipped to Switzerland in January 2021, as of May the cumulative driving range of these trucks in operation reached over 750,000km reducing carbon emissions by an estimated 585 tonnes.
Another 140 units of the new XCIENT Fuel Cell towards Switzerland by the end of this year as part of its plan to roll out 1,600 heavy-duty fuel cell electric trucks in Europe by 2025.
Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor and H2 Energy, is working on the introduction of XCIENT Fuel Cell in other European markets.
Plans are already in place to present the XCIENT Fuel Cell to the North American market this year with Hyundai in talks with several local governments and logistics businesses in the US to establish potential joint operations of the trucks for various purposes.
China is another nation that has strong interest in the heavy-duty trucks powered by hydrogen.
Hyundai is carefully reviewing multiple options to introduce its fuel cell technology to corporate and government customers in China.
Mark Freymueller, CEO of Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility, said, “The customers are very pleased with the quality and driving comfort of the truck. There is a lot of interest for the truck outside Switzerland as well.
“We are very confident that we will see XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks on the road in other European countries next year.”
