Hyundai to Deploy Hydrogen-Fuel-Cell Trucks in California

Hyundai is bringing more than 30 of its hydrogen fuel-cell electric heavy-duty trucks to California as part of two publicly funded demonstration projects, which it says will be the largest deployment of Class 8 hydrogen-powered fuel cell trucks in the country.

The demo trucks will be based on Hyundai’s Xcient Fuel Cell truck, which the company claims is the world’s first mass-produced, heavy-duty truck powered by hydrogen. They are scheduled to be deployed starting in the second quarter of 2023.

Debuting last year in Switzerland, Xcient Fuel Cell trucks have racked up a million kilometers of driving in real-world conditions, according to the company. The U.S. model provides a maximum driving range of 500 miles.

Hyundai will use insights gained from these public projects to develop its zero-emission commercial fleet business in the U.S.

Northern California Project

Thirty fuel-cell trucks will be deployed in Northern California in the NorCAL ZERO project (Zero-Emission Regional Truck Operations with Fuel Cell Electric Trucks).

A consortium led by the Center for Transportation and the Environment and Hyundai Motor recently won $22 million in grants from the California Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission and $7 million in additional grants from the Alameda County Transportation Commission and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District in support of this project.

Read more here.