Xcient fuel cell tractor introduced
Hyundai Motor Co. showed off its new Xcient fuel cell Class 8 tractor at May’s Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Anaheim, Calif.
Already in commercialized production, the Xcient is being introduced to the North American commercial vehicle market.
The truck uses hydrogen fuel cell technology, which produces no toxic emission, only water vapor and warm air.
Xcient fuel cell has been deployed in five countries – Switzerland, Germany, Israel, Korea and New Zealand – since it was launched in 2020.
The trucks have traveled an accumulated 4 million miles, Hyundai reported in a company statement.
The daycab model shown at the ACT Expo event was the 6×4 tractor equipped with two 90-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cell systems (total 180 kW power) and a 350 kW electric motor. Its gross combination weight is a maximum 82,000 pounds. It has a driving range of over 450 miles per charge even when fully loaded. It has a five-speed automatic transmission.
Hyundai is committed to hydrogen to power commercial vehicles, said Ken Ramirez, an executive at Hyundai Motor Co. The company also is committed to a “progress for humanity” vision and the importance of achieving carbon neutrality.
“We firmly believe that hydrogen is one of the most powerful and pragmatic solutions for achieving our vision of ‘progress for humanity’ with emission-free mobility as a fundamental pillar for a sustainable society,” Ramirez said. “Our hydrogen fuel cell technology has pioneered the industry, with a real-world proven track record of its efficiency and durability. We are leveraging these merits to further transform transportation with hydrogen energy for a broad range of mobility applications, including commercial vehicles, marine vessels and even air mobility.
“We now look beyond mobility toward an integrated hydrogen ecosystem, from production of hydrogen to its storage, transport and delivery. Hyundai is uniquely positioned to cover all aspects and deliver a seamless solution across the value chain.”
The company aims to foster a hydrogen fuel ecosystem in North America by creating a hydrogen commercial vehicle value chain. LL