HYDRO-DAI – KOREAN TRUCK MAKER SPREADS ITS HYDROGEN FOOTPRINT IN GERMANY AND NZ

Hyundai continues to spread its wings when it comes to its advanced Hydrogen Fuel Cell powered heavy trucks, announcing that it will be  exporting  a number of  its heavy duty Xcient fuel cell trucks to Germany for trial.

The company claims that seven German companies across logistics, retail and manufacturing will put 27 of its fuel cell Xcient trucks to work, backed by funding for eco-friendly commercial vehicles from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV).

Following approval by the European Commission, BMDV rolled out its funding guidelines for commercial vehicles last year, with a budget of $AUD2.34billion (€1.6 billion ) available up to 2024.

The funding is available for battery, fuel cell and overhead line hybrid vehicles, for which Hyundai’s Xcient qualified. Germany is the largest commercial vehicle market in Europe, and this program promotes the use of sustainable drive systems as well as the development of refuelling infrastructure.

Hyundai’s Hydrogen Mobility joint venture with Swiss company H2 Energy, has established Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility Germany  (HHMG) to pursue the hydrogen fuel cell market in Germany.

The HHMG will operate in Germany, with sales and customer service on offer, and plans to actively participate in a second funding program.

Hyundai has also sent five Hydrogen FCEV  Xcients to New Zealand.