Key Points:
- Hyundai Motor launched the NorCAL ZERO Project in the United States to promote zero-emission freight transportation.
- As part of the project, Hyundai deployed 30 Xcient Fuel Cells, the world’s first mass-produced hydrogen-electric heavy-duty truck.
- Partnerships with organizations like the Center for Transportation and the Environment and FirstElement Fuel support the project’s success.
- The NorCAL ZERO Project will reduce carbon emissions by over 24,000 metric tons by 2028. Hyundai plans to expand its hydrogen initiatives globally.
Hyundai Motor Company is taking a significant step forward in the hydrogen-powered truck business in the United States with the launch of the NorCAL ZERO Project, an environmentally friendly initiative to bring zero-emission freight transportation to the San Francisco Bay Area and California’s Central Valley.
Ken Ramirez, head of global commercial vehicle and hydrogen business at Hyundai Motor Company, emphasized the importance of the NorCAL ZERO Project in realizing Hyundai’s vision for a global hydrogen society. He highlighted the project’s role in demonstrating the feasibility of the transport energy transition and its significance in Hyundai’s port decarbonization initiatives worldwide.
Hyundai Motor secured its position as the final winner of the NorCAL ZERO Project’s bid for an eco-friendly commercial truck supplier in 2021. Subsequently, the company deployed 30 Xcient Fuel Cells, the world’s first mass-produced hydrogen-electric heavy-duty truck, to California in the second half of last year. This deployment marked the largest commercial deployment of hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric trucks in the United States.
Partnerships with organizations such as the Center for Transportation and the Environment, the California Energy Commission, and FirstElement Fuel have been instrumental in driving the success of the NorCAL ZERO Project. The official launch ceremony occurred at FirstElement Fuel’s hydrogen refueling station in Oakland, the world’s first hydrogen fuel station for commercial trucks. The station can fill a truck’s hydrogen tank in just 10 minutes, facilitating the refueling of approximately 200 trucks daily.
According to the Center for Transportation and the Environment, the NorCAL ZERO Project is projected to reduce carbon emissions by over 24,000 metric tons by the project’s completion in 2028. Hyundai Motor’s commitment to hydrogen initiatives extends beyond the United States, with the company having exported dozens of Xcient Fuel Cells to various countries, including Switzerland, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, and Saudi Arabia. The company plans to expand its hydrogen initiatives further to additional regions.
