The first hydrogen-powered trucks have been delivered by Hyundai to the European marketplace.
The South Korean manufacturer has sent seven trucks to Switzerland in its first move into the European hydrogen commercial vehicle market.
The shipment forms part of the company’s 50 full cell electric trucks that are due to be supplied into the Swiss market by the end of 2020. The move also forms an integral element of the company’s supply and expansion of fuel cell trucks across Europe, including in Austria, Germany, Norway and the Netherlands.
The XCIENT fuel cell which powers the vehicles is the world’s first mass-produced cell for electric heavy-duty trucks, it claims. The cell has a 190kW hydrogen fuel cell system with dual 95kW fuel cell stacks and a range of 400km with refuelling time at around 10 to 20 minutes. The firm has also developed a larger vehicle with a range of 1,000km per charge.
The companies that took ownership of the trucks will now lease the vehicles on a ‘pay-per-use’ basis, which will cover all driving costs including charging, insurance and maintenance.
Speaking about the move, Hyundai said: “Hyundai Motor will quickly expand its presence in Europe’s commercial vehicle market by reducing the initial cost and burden for customers introducing hydrogen electric trucks.”
Switzerland is among several European companies scaling up hydrogen charging infrastructure with 100 chargepoints being planned across the country.
