Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell Is Now On The Highways In California

Hyundai has stated that its newest hydrogen-powered Class 8 truck will be available in the U.S. beginning next month. California will get 30 XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks by 2023, according to the carmaker. Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks were first were seen on the highway in Switzerland last year and have already covered over a million km (620,000 miles). The 37-ton XCIENT Fuel Cell truck being shipped to the United States is a Class 8 truck (82,000 lbs).

Glovis America, a logistics service company, will be the first to operate the trucks, which have a 64 drive axle layout. Hyundai will build a high-capacity hydrogen refueling station in Oakland, California, with the help of its partnerships, that can handle up to 50 trucks. They will also employ First Element Fuel fuelling facilities in other regions.

Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks will be used to transport long-haul freight between facilities in southern California beginning in August. The vehicles that will be shipped to the United States will have a 500-mile capacity (800 km). Hyundai obtained $22 million in funds from the California Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission, and also $7 million from the Alameda County Transportation Commission and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, to help the development.

Hyundai has supplied 46 fuel cell trucks to European clients so far, with a goal of 1,600 on the market by 2025. Those first 46 Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell have already prevented an estimated 630 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

California Energy Commission's Deputy Director of Fuels and Transportation Division, Hannon Rasool, declared: "We are happy to sponsor this unprecedented deployment of 30 hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and enhance the air quality in Northern California."