HD Hyundai is set to unveil a production version of its hydrogen fuel cell powered HW155H 14-ton wheeled excavator โย one of ten updated or all-new machines rumored to making their debut at this yearโs Bauma construction trade show.
Wheeled excavators are having something of a resurgence in the equipment space these days โย and with good reason. The machines are easily deployable by municipalities, can navigate urban and suburban environments with ease, and can be fitted with a broad range of accessories to make jobs from digging to demolition to landscaping possible (and, if any of you Steelwrist guys are reading this โฆ that thingโs cool). And itโs those same municipalities that are holding the line on emissions and environmental regulations, and more often than not the people who have to hear about it when the noise of a conventional ICE-powered job site upsets Mrs. Klancikโs terrier.
HD Hyundai is leaning into the wheeled excavator rennaisance with its new HW155H, a quiet, zero-emission asset that can reportedly send between 70 and 100 kW of power to a series of electric motors that should be good for up to eight hours of continuous operation between each twenty-minute refill.
A static version of the HW155H was shown at Bauma in 2022, when the concept was first announced. At the time, HD Hyundai offered a number of calculations (some more credible than others) to highlight the potential impact a hydrogen-powered excavator might have on a given fleet. You can see that for yourself here, or check out the most relevant graph (I think), below.
HD Hyundai hydrogen excavator impact
One of the reasons the upcoming HD Hyundai is so eagerly anticipated is that the original concept won Platinum Prize at the 2024 LACP Inspire Awards as recently as last month.
The award, issued by a globally recognized rating agency, validates HD Hyundaiโs commitment to ESG management, and follows on from 2023โs Presidential Award for Corporate Innovation hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and its selection as an ESG Leading Company by the Korea Institute of Corporate Governance and Sustainability.
Electrekโs Take
South Korea is especially committed to hydrogen as a fuel. So much so, in fact, that the nationโs government has Hyundai putting the stuff in semi trucks, forklifts, and even military vehicles. The thing is, itโs highly unlikely that hydrogen will ever become a mainstream alternative to battery power โย at least when it comes to on-road transportation.
All of which is to say: while the HW155H (that second โHโ is for โhydrogenโ) looks pretty cool, but the sure to follow shortly thereafter HW155E (for โelectricโ) is going to look a whole lot more like something that makes sense for your fleet.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Hyundai, via Power Progress.
