Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility (HHM) announced today a partnership with H2 Energy, Alpiq, and Linde, to promote a “green hydrogen” infrastructure in Switzerland. To support this, the companies have built a 2 MW electrolysis plant at the Gösgen hydropower plant for producing hydrogen, and Hyundai intends to supply over 1,600 fuel cell heavy-duty trucks for use in Switzerland.

Generally, we do not like fuel cell vehicles because the fuel source matters a lot. While the output of fuel cells is water vapor and electricity, hydrogen is usually derived from natural gas. That makes most fuel cell deployments a sham where fossil fuel is masquerading as a clean fuel.

In this case, the press releases use the term “Green Hydrogen” and discuss how they have installed an electrolysis plant at a hydro-electric station. That is a clear sourcing of renewable electricity to derive hydrogen in a clean fashion.

Another case, the hydrogen refueling station which blew up in Oslo in June, is similar. That was a hydrogen refueling station for the general public located near a highway interchange in Oslo Norway. Typically such stations are supplied with hydrogen by truck. But, in this case, it was supplied by on-site electrolysis equipment that in turn was powered by solar panels on a nearby building. It is a shame, actually, that station blew up and appears it will not be replaced.

Hyundai Motor Group will deliver 1,600 fuel cell trucks to Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility between 2019 and 2025. Those trucks will then be leased to the H2 Mobility Switzerland Association, a group of major refueling station operators, transport and logistics companies.

Because of a stiff nation-wide tax on diesel trucks, Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility expects to gain a foothold in Switzerland.

Green Hydrogen Allows Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility and Hydrospider to Connect Electricity with Mobility Sectors in Switzerland

The first 2MW electrolysis plant in Switzerland will start operations producing green hydrogen at the end of 2019 at the Gösgen hydropower plant.
Partnership is forged among Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility (HHM) and Hydrospider together with logistics and retail and trade partners to build an industrial hydrogen ecosystem in Europe.
Hyundai’s fuel cell technology via HHM will promote clean transportation of the future.
Delivery of Hyundai Motor’s first 50 fuel cell trucks to Switzerland in 2020.
With combined effort among partners, HHM and Hydrospider solve the chicken-egg dilemma with a business case for future mobility and energy solutions.

Niedergösgen, September 25, 2019 – Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility (HHM), the joint venture between Hyundai Motor Company and H2 Energy, forged a partnership with Hydrospider, a joint venture of H2Energy, Alpiq and Linde to promote green hydrogen ecosystem in Switzerland and European countries in the upcoming future.

As part of this effort, HHM and Hydrospider held a special ceremony at Alpiq’s hydroelectric power plant in Gösgen, Switzerland, to introduce a new business model for green mobility with fuel cell electric trucks in alignment with Hydrospider’s green hydrogen production and a distinctive plan for building up the necessary refuelling infrastructure. At the event, meanwhile, Hyundai also provided detailed information about the its next-generation Hyundai H2 Xcient fuel cell electric truck and unveiled a video showing Xcient running on the road.

With global leading hydrogen technology, Hyundai as a truck supplier intends to enter into the European market for eco-friendly heavy-duty vehicles. Indeed, earlier this year, Hyundai and H2 Energy announced the establishment of a joint venture, Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility, aiming at taking the lead across Europe’s burgeoning hydrogen mobility ecosystem.
As part of this partnership, HHM plans to bring 1,600 fuel cell electric heavy-duty until 2025, marking the entry of the automaker into Europe’s clean mobility commercial vehicle sector. The venture will then offer these fuel cell powered electric trucks in a specially designed green ecosystem to the members of the H2 Mobility Switzerland Association as well as to other transport and logistics companies promoting hydrogen mobility in Switzerland.

HHM will position itself in Europe’s fuel cell electric commercial vehicle market as well, where green mobility with strict regulations about carbon emissions are hugely embraced. It will expand its presence further to European countries beyond Switzerland. Currently, there is a strong focus in establishing solutions and partner networks for Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Norway.

For the production of hydrogen and its delivery to the hydrogen refueling stations, Hydrospider was founded at the beginning of 2019, in which H2E, Linde and Alpiq, the host of the event at the Gösgen hydropower plant, participated. The production of hydrogen at Alpiq’s hydroelectric power plant Gösgen will be commissioned from at the end of 2019. The power plant itself has been in operation for over 100 years, having been built in 1917 and rebuilt between 1997 and 2000.

HHM, Hydrospider, and dedicated members of the H2 Mobility Switzerland Association are jointly creating the infrastructure for fuel cell truck mobility solutions through a strong business case. These players are dedicated to solve the chicken-egg dilemma and demonstrate both the economic and ecologic viability of commercial fuel cell truck mobility.

Hyundai’s world-leading position in hydrogen technology and the enormous demand for fuel cell trucks powered by green hydrogen allows Hyundai to gain a strategic foothold in Switzerland through HHM. Meanwhile, the global demand for eco-friendly commercial vehicles is expected to increase as environmentally-friendly government policies are enforced around the world.

The next-generation Hyundai H2 XCIENT Fuel Cell truck

The supply of a fleet of fuel cell electric trucks to Switzerland marks Hyundai’s first expansion of its FCEV leadership into the eco-friendly commercial vehicle sector.

The Hyundai H2 XCIENT Fuel Cell truck has been developed according to European regulations. It features a new 190 kW hydrogen fuel cell system with two 95 kW fuel cell stacks connected in parallel. It delivers a single-fueling travel range of more approx. 400 km. It carries seven large hydrogen tanks with the storage capacity of almost 35kg of hydrogen.
Hyundai’s fuel cell electric trucks will be available to its Swiss customers, starting with dedicated members of the H2 Mobility Switzerland Association.

“Through this partnership between Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility and Hydrospider, Hyundai Motor will offer its fuel cell electric trucks in a specially-designed ecosystem,” says In Cheol Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of Commercial Vehicle Division, Hyundai Motor. “We believe that our strong business case demonstrates both the economic and ecologic viability of fuel cell truck mobility. Once again, Hyundai Motor demonstrates its commitment to both innovation and the environment.”

“Hyundai is a world leader in hydrogen technology, and this has been further emphasized though the company’s new Xcient fuel cell electric truck,” says Rolf Huber, Chairman of Hydrospider AG. “Hydrospider is very proud to be a part of this pioneering venture. As well as producing green hydrogen, we are creating an ecosystem with the necessary infrastructure that will enable these vehicles to operate successfully in the Swiss market.”

About H2 Energy

H2 Energy has industry-wide capabilities throughout Switzerland’s hydrogen ecosystem, encompassing hydrogen production and supply, refueling stations, fuel cell vehicle procurement and other fields. The company also offers business and engineering solutions in several European countries, drawing on its technical expertise, extensive infrastructure, solid market presence and close industry-wide connections.

About Alpiq

Alpiq is a leading Swiss energy services provider and electricity producer in Europe. The Alpiq Group has been generating climate-friendly and sustainable electricity from carbon-free Swiss hydropower for more than 100 years. Its power plant portfolio also comprises shares in two Swiss nuclear power plants as well as flexible thermal power plants, wind farms and photovoltaic systems in Europe.

About The Linde Group

The Linde Group is a global market leader for industrial, process and specialty gases, as well as being one of the most profitable engineering companies. Active in more than 100 countries worldwide, it is an elementary component of virtually every industry.

Hyundai Motor and H2 Energy Sign Joint Venture Contract to spearhead Hydrogen Mobility in Europe

Hyundai and H2 Energy to establish ‘Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility’ to tap into Europe’s hydrogen mobility ecosystem with fuel cell trucks
Hyundai to deliver 1,600 fuel cell heavy-duty trucks to the JV through 2025, to be leased to member companies of H2 Mobility Switzerland Association and other enterprises
JV to expand business to neighboring European countries; offer prospects for future partnerships in U.S.

SEOUL, April 15, 2019 – Hyundai Motor Company and H2 Energy AG announced today that they signed a contract for a joint venture, Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility, aimed at taking a lead across Europe’s burgeoning hydrogen mobility ecosystem.

To begin the joint venture’s operations, Hyundai Motor will deliver 1,600 fuel cell electric heavy-duty trucks to Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility from 2019 through 2025.

The venture will then lease a large portion of these fuel-cell powered trucks to the H2 Mobility Switzerland Association, which comprises major refuelling station operators, transport and logistics companies, as well as to various other industry players that promote hydrogen mobility in Switzerland.

The joint entity will further expand its market presence to other European countries beyond Switzerland.

Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility also plans to penetrate the hydrogen sales market through a subsidiary firm that produces and supplies hydrogen in Switzerland, with prospects for entering other European countries.

With the establishment of Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility, Hyundai expects to gain a foothold in Switzerland, where the demand for fuel cell trucks is expected to grow from a stiff nationwide road tax on diesel trucks, which incentivizes fleet operators of diesel trucks to switch to zero emission vehicles.

In the longer term, Hyundai plans to establish an advanced, sustainable position in Europe’s fuel cell electric commercial vehicle market, as it increasingly embraces green mobility amid stringent regulations targeting carbon emissions.

“With today’s agreement, Hyundai Motor will strengthen its business operations across the hydrogen ecosystems in Switzerland and beyond. The venture will enable us to take the first step toward successfully entering the larger European market with our fuel cell electric trucks,” said In Cheol Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of Commercial Vehicle Division at Hyundai Motor. “Harnessing the prospective success of the world’s first commercialization scheme of fuel cell trucks, Hyundai Motor will continue to maintain its technological prowess in hydrogen technology as an innovative and environmentally committed global automaker.”

H2 Energy has industrywide capabilities throughout Switzerland’s hydrogen ecosystem, encompassing hydrogen production and supply, refueling stations, fuel cell vehicle procurement and other fields. The company also offers technical and consulting solutions, drawing on its engineering expertise, extensive infrastructure, solid market presence and close industrywide connections.

“Once again, Hyundai lives up to its role as a world leader in hydrogen technology. This time, Hyundai has ushered in an unstoppable momentum towards eco-friendly mobility for heavy-duty trucks in Europe and beyond,” said H2 Energy Chairman Rolf Huber. “We are very proud to play an active part in this pioneering project in the framework of a joint venture. In addition to supporting the fuel cell truck business, H2 Energy will create a related ecosystem that can flexibly adapt to operate these vehicles.”

After scaling up to meet the demand in Europe, Hyundai will launch its fuel-cell commercial vehicle businesses in other regions around the world, including the U.S. and domestic market in Korea.

Hyundai Motor is a world leader in the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology, becoming the world’s first automaker to commercialize fuel-cell electric vehicles with the introduction of ix35 Fuel Cell (also known as Tucson Fuel Cell in some markets) in 2013. NEXO – Hyundai’s second-generation FCEV with a 609-kilometer range on a single charge (under Korean certification standards) – emits only clean water vapor and purifies the air while driving.

The fuel-cell electric powertrain technology has advantages over the battery electric powertrain technology in large commercial vehicles, such as trucks and buses. Fuel cell technology saves loading space and reduces vehicle weight, progressively becoming a more cost-efficient power source as the vehicle size increases. As a result, the technology offers a wide array of opportunities in the commercial vehicle sector.

Hyundai Motor’s fuel cell powertrain offers an exclusive propulsion solution for everyday vehicles from passenger cars to commercial vehicles. It represents the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainable transport.

Hyundai Motor Group has begun fostering the growth of fuel cell and other related industries around the world as part of its FCEV Vision 2030. The vision aims at creating a worldwide hydrogen society that leverages hydrogen technologies beyond the transportation sector.

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About David Herron

David Herron is a writer and software engineer living in Silicon Valley. He primarily writes about electric vehicles, clean energy systems, climate change, peak oil and related issues. When not writing he indulges in software projects and is sometimes employed as a software engineer. David has written for sites like PlugInCars and TorqueNews, and worked for companies like Sun Microsystems and Yahoo.