Hyundai is celebrating its fleet of XCIENT Fuel Cell heavy-duty trucks in Switzerland have travelled more than 5 million kilometres in the past two years. Beginning in 2020, the business sold 47 hydrogen-powered, zero-emission commercial vehicles to 23 Swiss enterprises for logistics, distribution and retail fulfilment.
“XCIENT Fuel Cell is the world’s first heavy-duty fuel cell truck to achieve 5 million km of cumulative driving in real-life customer operation,” said Mark Freymueller, Senior Vice President and Head of Commercial Vehicle Business Innovation at Hyundai Motor Company. “The experience we’ve gained and the milestone we’ve achieved in Switzerland will provide good insights to many countries that are preparing to transition to a sustainable hydrogen society. Based on this proven track record of successful operation in Switzerland, we will expand this business throughout Europe.”
Hyundai Motor announced Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility (HHM) in 2019 in partnership with H2 Energy, a Swiss enterprise that cooperated with H2 Mobility Switzerland Association, a hydrogen fueling network builder and XCIENT client, and green hydrogen manufacturing company Hydrospider. Hyundai Motor is vital to the creation of an emission-free, green hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty truck ecosystem in which vehicle supply, hydrogen fueling and green hydrogen generation are all organically integrated.
The XCIENT Fuel Cell is fitted with a 180kW hydrogen fuel cell system that is divided into two 90kW fuel cell stacks. The 350kW e-motor produces a maximum torque of 2,237Nm. Its seven hydrogen tanks have a total storage capacity of roughly 31kg of fuel and its performance is supported by a 72kWh-powered set of three batteries. In real-world settings, the driving range is over 400km per charge. A full tank of hydrogen takes 8 to 20 minutes to refuel, depending on the temperature.
Hyundai Motor announced its successful entry into Germany in August 2022, with seven local firms planned to put XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks into fleet service with assistance from the German government for an eco-friendly commercial vehicle project.
