(Fountain Valley, USA / Seoul, South Korea) – The Korean Hyundai Motor Company wants to put the world's first mass-produced hydrogen-powered heavy-duty truck based on the XCIENT Fuel Cell on the road in California, USA, as part of two publicly funded projects.
The US model has a range of 500 miles (800 kilometers). The hydrogen is stored in the vehicle in tanks with a pressure of 700 bar. According to the US classification from 1 to 8, the XCIENT fuel cell truck belongs to class 8 - which starts with a gross vehicle weight of 33.000 pounds, corresponding to around 15 tons. The manufacturer states that the maximum total towing weight of the XCIENT is “more than 37 tons”.
Hyundai's project, called "NorCAL ZERO," will reportedly deploy 2023 XCIENT fuel cell vehicles with a 30x6 drive axle configuration in Northern California by the second quarter of 4. The fleet operator is the logistics service provider Glovis America. The Specialized and Asset Finance division of the Australian financial services provider Macquarie will finance the trucks via a leasing model.
A consortium led by the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) and Hyundai Motor has acquired funding totaling $29 million from various authorities and institutions to implement the project. In addition, a hydrogen filling station is to be built in Oakland, California, which can supply up to 50 trucks with an average capacity of 30 kilograms.
Two XCIENT trucks in test operation
For a second project, Hyundai Motor received a $500.000 grant from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) to test two XCIENT Class 8 fuel cell heavy-duty trucks in the southern part of the state. The project is largely funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The vehicles will be used for long-distance freight transport between warehouses for a period of twelve months from August. Hyundai will also work with California hydrogen fueling station leader First Element Fuel (FEF) to utilize three hydrogen fueling stations in the region for the trucks.
In 2020, Hyundai announced that it would deliver 2025 XCIENT fuel cell trucks to Europe by 1.600. The vehicle, as reported, was in the Switzerland presented. The first 46 units arrived there last year and have covered a total of more than a million kilometers in the eleven months of their use.
deep link
https://www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en/company/newsroom/-0000016695
Photos
The Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell used in California has a range of 800 kilometers. / © Hyundai
