Germany already has a fleet of Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks.

For some time now, 47 units of the Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell have been running on the roads of Switzerland. In total, they have covered around four million kilometres carrying out road transport services. Now, having proven their capability, they are heading to Germany, where 27 units of this sustainable truck model will be deployed.

This model has earned the trust of seven companies active in logistics, manufacturing and retail. To purchase them, they have used the financing enabled by the German government for the acquisition of this type of vehicle. The German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport will allocate 1.6 billion euros in subsidies for the purchase of sustainable commercial vehicles through 2024.

The arrival in the German market gives the Korean company the opportunity to start bringing this technology to the European market. To do so, Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility has teamed up with the Swiss company H2 Energy, and from that union has emerged Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility German GmbH, the company that will handle the commercialisation of the model in the German market.

XCIENT Fuel Cell, the first fuel cell truck manufactured in series

The XCIENT Fuel Cell is the first truck using fuel cell technology to be manufactured in series. The units being distributed in Germany have an electric motor of 350 kW, equivalent to 476 CV. Peak torque is just over 2,200 Nm. The battery pack has a capacity of 72 kWh.

As for the fuel cell, this technology delivers an output of 180 kW and has its hydrogen stored in seven tanks with a combined capacity of 31 kg of this element. The stored hydrogen gives a range of 400 kilometres, a figure well suited to its role.

The refuelling time for these hydrogen tanks varies with ambient temperature. It can be between 8 and 20 minutes, a very short time compared with charging electric batteries.