Little by little, work has been carried out on new energy models that have served to promote urban and freight mobility in a sustainable way, without generating CO2 emissions and at the same time guaranteeing great autonomy at all times. Firms such as Hyundai have been working on a new source of energy, such as the hydrogen battery, which has given great results and that have been present in their XCient Fuel Cell heavy trucks, that in recent days are already present in the largest commercial market in Europe, as is the case of Germany.
The Korean firm has begun to export these sophisticated commercial vehicles and that will be present thanks to the financing of 27 XCient Fuel Cell trucks by part of the German Federal Ministry for Green Commercial Vehicles for Digital Industry and Transport (BMDV). In August 2021, the BMDV launched its financing guidelines for commercial vehicles with alternative powertrains following approval by the European Commission. Funding is available for battery,fuel cell and hybrid (overhead) vehicles, corresponding to the charging/refuelling infrastructure and related feasibility studies.
Hyundai is a firm that has become known as the leader in the technological evolution of the hydrogen fuel cell and now they have taken the opportunity to expand in the European market. With the Xcient Fuel Cell it has a hydrogen fuel cell of 180 kW with two fuel cells of 90kW each. Its durability will be adapted to the demands of each client. The 350 kW electric motor with a maximum torque of 2,237 Nm allows for dynamic driving.
This vehicle features seven hydrogen tanks offering a combined storage capacity of 31 kg of fuel, while a set of three 72 kWh batteries provides an additional energy source. The maximum range is 400 km per charge. Refueling a tank full of hydrogen takes between 8 and 20 minutes, depending on the ambient temperature. The Xcient Fuel Cell was the first electric hydrogen heavy truck which was mass-produced worldwide.
