Hyundai’s XCIENT Fuel Cell hitting the road in California

Date: 20.08.2021

XCIENT Fuel Cell is the world’s first mass-produced, heavy-duty truck powered by hydrogen

The demo trucks that Hyundai will bring into the US are developed based on XCIENT Fuel Cell

Hyundai Motor Company announced in late July its plan to deploy the company’s latest hydrogen fuel cell electric heavy-duty trucks in California, for two publicly funded projects to improve the air quality in the region.

The demo trucks that Hyundai will bring into the US are developed based on XCIENT Fuel Cell—the world’s first mass-produced, heavy-duty truck powered by hydrogen. Hyundai Motor teamed with public and private partners in the US to operate 30 units of Class 8 XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks, starting from the second quarter of 2023.

This will be the largest commercial deployment of Class 8 hydrogen-powered fuel cell trucks in the country. A consortium led by the Centre 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.

Hyundai’s NorCAL ZERO project, also known as Zero-Emission Regional Truck Operations with Fuel Cell Electric Trucks, will deploy 30 units of Class 8 XCIENT Fuel Cell, with a 6x4 drive axle configuration, to northern California by the second quarter of 2023.

"These investments will support zero-emission trucks and infrastructure development and deployment as part of the US market ecosystem," says Hannon Rasool, deputy director of fuels and transportation division at the California Energy Commission.

The consortium also plans to establish a high-capacity hydrogen refuelling station in Oakland, California that will be able to support as many as 50 trucks with an average fill of 30kg.

Hyundai Motor was also awarded a $500,000 grant from the South Coast Air Quality Management District to demonstrate in Southern California two Class 8 XCIENT Fuel Cell heavy-duty trucks.

Hyundai Motor and its fleet partner plan to begin operating these trucks in August. They will be used for long-haul freight operations between warehouses in Southern California for a 12-month period. Hyundai will also work with First Element Fuel to utilise three hydrogen refuelling stations in the region to refuel the trucks.

The Class 8 XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks that Hyundai will deploy in California will have a maximum driving range of 800km because the hydrogen will be stored in greater quantity on the vehicle in tanks rated at 700 bar, or about 10,000psi, of pressure.

The maximum gross combination weight of Class 8 XCIENT Fuel Cell truck will be more than 37 tonnes (37,000kg). Based on the experience gathered from the initial demonstrations, Hyundai will accelerate its effort to officially launch its zero-emission commercial trucks in North America.

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