Hyundai and Swiss hydrogen company H2 Energy (H2E) say they will bring the world’s first fleet of fuel-cell electric trucks into commercial operation.
Starting next year, Hyundai will provide 1,000 of the trucks to the Swiss commercial-vehicle market over five years.
Under a memorandum of understanding announced at the IAA Commercial Vehicles Show in Hanover, Germany, H2 Energy will provide a supply chain for renewable hydrogen.
The supply of trucks to H2 Energy marks Hyundai’s first expansion of its FCEV operation into the eco-friendly CV sector.
The 4x2 cargo truck’s specifications include a gross vehicle weight of 18 tons. It is 384 ins. (9,745 mm) long, 100 ins. (2,550 mm) wide, and 147 ins. (3,734 mm) tall with a wheelbase of 202 ins. (5,130 mm).
The truck is being developed to meet European regulations. The new 190-kW system incorporates two fuel-cell stacks connected in parallel. The hydrogen refueling time is seven minutes.
It is expected to deliver a single-fueling travel range of about 250 miles (400 km). To achieve this, eight compact hydrogen tanks are being installed, using areas between the cabin and the rigid body.
Hyundai says fuel-cell electric technology has advantages over battery-electric powertrains technology in its applications for larger vehicles such as trucks and buses. These include space and weight savings as well as being more cost-efficient to apply as the vehicle size increases.
Hyundai plans to diversify its fuel-cell electric CV lineup. Under development is a heavy-duty truck with a payload of 4 to 5 tons.
