Hyundai Motor Company announced that its fleet of XCIENT Fuel Cell heavy-duty trucks in Switzerland has accumulated more than 5 MM km in two years. Starting in 2020, the company exported 47 units of the H₂-powered, zero-emission commercial trucks to 23 Swiss companies, which are using them for logistics, distribution and supermarket fulfillment.

“XCIENT Fuel Cell is the world’s first heavy-duty fuel cell truck to achieve 5 million km of cumulative driving in real-life customer operation,” said Mark Freymueller, Senior Vice President and Head of Commercial Vehicle Business Innovation at Hyundai Motor Company. “The experience we’ve gained and the milestone we’ve achieved in Switzerland will provide good insights to many countries that are preparing to transition to a sustainable hydrogen society. Based on this proven track record of successful operation in Switzerland, we will expand this business throughout Europe.”

In 2019 Hyundai Motor established Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility in partnership with Swiss company H₂ Energy which partnered with H₂ Mobility Switzerland Association, a H₂ fueling network builder and XCIENT customer, and green H₂ production company Hydrospider. Hyundai Motor is playing a crucial role in creating an emission-free, green H₂ fuel cell heavy-duty truck ecosystem where vehicle supply, H₂ fueling, and green H₂ production are organically connected.

The XCIENT Fuel Cell is equipped with a 180-kW H₂ fuel cell system with two 90-kW fuel cell stacks. The system’s durability and the vehicle’s overall fuel efficiency are tailored to the demands of commercial fleet customers. The 350-kW e-motor with maximum torque of 2,237 Nm enables dynamic driving performance. Its seven large H₂ tanks offer a combined storage capacity of around 31 kg of fuel, while a 72-kWh-powered set of three batteries supports the performance. The driving range is over 400 km per charge in real world conditions. Refueling a full tank of hydrogen takes about 8 to 20 minutes, depending on the ambient temperature.