Hyundai XCIENT hydrogen fuel cell electric semi trucks arrive in Georgia

Just when you thought it was safe to count out hydrogen as a viable competitor to battery-electric power in the North American medium– and heavy-duty trucking space, the new Hyundai XCIENT HFCEV Class 8 semi truck arrives in Georgia — and immediately gets to work.

Hyundai’s new XCIENT hydrogen semi trucks are set to be deployed at the new Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA), where the heavy-duty Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell trucks will be tasked with supporting plant-related logistics operations.

Operated as part of a joint venture with transport company/3PL Glovis America, Hyundai’s hydrogen semi fleet will consist of 21 XCIENT trucks, each packing electric motors that combine to deliver about 470 hp and 1650 lb-ft of torque at 0 rpm. Unlike the direct-drive/single-speed setup in Tesla cars and other inexpensive EVs, the Hyundai XCIENT puts all that power through an Allison 400 Series fully automatic six-speed transmission, enabling the electric motor to stay nearer its 0 rpm/maximum efficiency operating range, even at highway speeds.

Range is expected to be something in the range of 400 km (250 miles), though Hyundai didn’t include specific tank specs in its official release.

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“HMGMA’s deployment of XCIENT for logistics and operations is one of the main initiatives of HTWO,” said Jim Park, SVP, commercial vehicle and hydrogen business development, Hyundai Motor North America. “This is delivering on our strategy and vision to showcase a closed-loop hydrogen logistics ecosystem and improve the environmental sustainability of manufacturing operations.”

The joint venture between Hyundai Motor Company and Glovis America, to be called HTWO Logistics, plans to install a mobile hydrogen refueling station at the carmaker’s Georgia Mega-site for more efficient vehicle fueling and to maintain better control of things like leakage, boil off, and hydrogen sourcing. A “clean” hydrogen production and refueling station is also being developed for the Megasite, and will (presumably) be announced shortly.

Electrek’s Take

While it’s tough to see what’s going on at Nikola, the real question surrounding that company’s seemingly impending doom is whether its troubles are purely of its own making, or due to the insurmountable impracticality, complexity, and high cost of building and operating a hydrogen vehicle infrastructure. Hyundai, in sharp contrast to Nikola, has big ‘ol bags of money. Adidas gym bags full of cash filling a Raider of the Lost Ark-style warehouse money. Enough money, then, that money won’t be a problem … until it is.

That’s my take, anyway. Tell us yours in the comments. But, before you do that, you should know that I take news of Nikola’s coming implosion with a grain of salt, too — Nikola is scrappy, and has been “circling the drain” for years without ever going in. Here’s hoping they pull it back from the brink one more time.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Hyundai.