Page 1: Why Hyundai’s fuel cells will become much cheaper

Heavy water 

That’s where the real meat for hydrogen is, not in passenger cars, but in heavy industrial applications. A key example are heavy commercial vehicles –  such as 18-wheeler or container trucks – which require fast refuelling times and long range that even current electric car tech has a difficult time matching.

Whether batteries can be an alternative fuel for heavy vehicles is still up for debate, but it could be with smaller batteries and a more mature charge network. Even then, hydrogen tech would overcome weight and refuelling challenges for heavy trucks. And there’s another plus: Shipping and air transport also contribute significantly to pollution, and you can’t recharge in the air or at sea, which is why hydrogen planes and ships could help.

Hyundai’s first FC truck was the 2020 Xcient Fuel Cell, which it says was the world’s first full-production FC truck, and a ‘greatly improved’ version, along with a tractor model, is now going into production. 

The third-gen FC tech will also provide the cornerstone for commercial applications. Along with the previously-mentioned increase to reliability/lifespan, the system is modular and based on 100kW ‘stacks’, which can be combined for outputs of up to 1MW (megawatt). 

HMG also states its intent to ‘fully re-energise’ its global commercial vehicle offerings – which now amount to around 400,000 new vehicles per annum – with FCEVs. The first will be a five to seven-metre commercial/goods vehicle, likely a customisable lorry with two or more axles.  

Just hot air, or is HMG into something?

Just like battery tech/electric vehicle tech though, the answer to whether or not a hydrogen economy will work hinges on infrastructure: Basically, whether a reliable and safe hydrogen distribution network be set-up, and can green hydrogen be cheaply produced, delivered and stored in a carbon-neutral manner. 

When asked why HMG is pushing forward with hydrogen tech despite other conglomerates and carmakers abandoning it, Chung positioned HMG as a trend-setter in a time where drastic action is needed. He said: “It’s important to remember that shifting to renewables is difficult without hydrogen. No single company or private sector can do it alone, and HMG couldn’t take a back seat on such a pressing agenda so we decided to lead this change which is critical for a sustainable future.” 

HMG has an unlikely ally – and rival – in the form of Japanese conglomerates, which have been the most prominent backers of the hydrogen economy.

In the car world, that’s most notably Toyota. Toyota recently unveiled a hydrogen-powered race car as a halo project which proved hydrogen can even be a near-direct replacement for gasoline. But it has also come under criticism for hobbling electric vehicles through its lobbying and even been accused of flogging the hydrogen dead horse.

But critics of hydrogen tech often make the argument either-or (Elon Musk derided the technology as ‘dumb‘) when in fact they are complementary technologies.

A fuel-cell plug-in could be a clean-burning PHEV alternative, and if hydrogen cars are not be a current solution, hydrogen is likely to be the best solution for heavy industrial applications and freight or public transport as current research (link, link) has shown. It’s there that huge amounts of pollution are emitted, far more than passenger cars which have the benefit of being always visible to our consumer eyes. Case in point – Mercedes-Benz’s parent company Daimler has supposedly abandoned FCEV cars, but is now developing FCEV trucks.

“The degree and frequency of environmental disasters is rising fast and we now face a code red warning for humanity,”  said Chung during the presentations closing remarks. “The Group seeks to offer powerful and pragmatic solutions for combatting climate change via the tremendous potential of hydrogen energy.”
Hydrogen can help boost lower emissions in critical places where pure electric/battery power simply cannot. If it catches on like K-Pop, at least it could help save the world.    

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