Korea’s largest automaker Hyundai is scaling up its push into the global truck market with particular focus on zero emission and hydrogen fuel cell technology with a fleet of its Xcient hydrogen FCEV prime movers set to be pressed into service in the USA.
Hyundai is already several years ahead of two of the largest truck makers in the world, (Daimler and Volvo, and the Cel Centric JV they are bankrolling), in its race to commercialise hydrogen as a green fuel for heavy duty and long distance trucks and is already operating a fleet of similar Xcient hydrogen FCEV trucks in Europe and in particular in Switzerland.
While Hyundai has been operating its hydrogen truck on roads in Europe for the past five years, in NZ for the past three and now in the USA, Daimler and Volvo are still three years from having commercial units available.
Hyundai in North America has recently supplied a fleet of 14 Hyundai Xcient hydrogen-powered trucks to the fleet of one of its key logistics suppliers, Benore Logistic Systems Savannah, Georgia.
Hyundai America says this move showcases the commitment Benore has to sustainability and says that it also positions the company as a trailblazer in the adoption of green technologies for freight transportation.
According to Hyundai, the journey of Benore Logistic Systems’ into hydrogen-powered logistics began with a small but significant step in 2022, 
when it rolled out its first four fuel cell trucks.
Building on that success, the company says it has now expanded its fleet with the new addition 14 Hyundai trucks, which are operating on dedicated routes in and around Savannah, servicing the Hyundai Motor Group’s Metaplant America, which it says is a facility that’s been forged around the concept of clean logistics operations.
Hyundai and Benoit claims these trucks offer an all-electric range of almost 400km which is it says is a significant leap forward in sustainable transportation.
Benore vice president of revenue strategy and operation development, Dennis Kunz, highlighted the importance of this initiative by saying these hydrogen fuel cell trucks represent a significant step forward for the company and its ability to deliver innovative, sustainable logistics solutions.
“It’s clear that at Benore we are serious about making a positive impact on the environment,” Kunz said.
“The deployment of these trucks is part of a broader collaboration between Benore and Hyundai Motor Group as well as HTWO Logistics, which is a joint venture between Hyundai and Glovis America,” he added.
Hyundai manufactures the trucks, HTWO oversees deployment, and here at Benore we manage daily logistics to ensure seamless operations for the Glovis EV contract.,” he said.
“This partnership shows just how committed we are at Benore is to delivering innovative, sustainable solutions that align with its just-in-time and just in-sequence operations<” he added.
The company claims that to support the initiative, another company, HydroFleet has invested the equivalent of $AUD52.4 million ($US 33 million) in a hydrogen production and refuelling hub, located near Savannah’s busy container port.
This facility will initially refuel up to 14 trucks daily and scale up to 50 trucks per day in the future, with the comopany uch infrastructure investments are crucial for expanding hydrogen-powered freight solutions across the region.
Benore said that its adoption of hydrogen-powered trucks aligns with a growing industry trend, joining other major players like Werner and DHL Supply Chain in embracing this clean technology.
Hyundai has apparently emerged as North America’s leading supplier of hydrogen fuel cell trucks, maintaining momentum despite the not inconsiderable setbacks faced by high profile competitors such as Hyzon and Nikola.
Benoit said that the increasing interest in hydrogen technology stems from its substantial potential to reduce emissions, with each Class 8 heavy duty truck capable of eliminating more than 400 metric tons of CO2 annually.
The transition to hydrogen fuel cell trucks however is apparently not without its hurdles. High initial costs pose a significant barrier, particularly for smaller companies, due to expensive fuel cell technology and specialised hydrogen storage systems.
It said the slow development of hydrogen fueling infrastructure in the USA remains a critical challenge, impeding widespread adoption. The current hydrogen production landscape in America, which is currently dominated by methane-based processes, falls short of the desired environmental benefits as well.
The company added that technological refinement is ongoing and that continued testing is needed to verify range estimates, assess performance across various conditions, and address maintenance issues affecting fuelling station uptime.
It said that achieving cost parity with diesel fuel was crucial for mass adoption, with estimates suggesting hydrogen needs to reach a price of between $AUD6.50-$AUD8.00 (around $USD4-$USD 5 )per kilogram to compete with the current average price for diesel in the USA, which is the equivalent of between $AUD1.22 to $AUD1.64 ($US0.77-$US1.03 per litre).
The company went on to say that despite these obstacles, the potential for significant emissions reduction continues to drive interest and investment in hydrogen fuel cell technology for the trucking industry.
With companies like Benore leading the way, the sector in the USA is watching closely to see how early adopters navigate the challenges and pave the way for a cleaner future in heavy-duty transportation.
Hydrogen-powered vehicles have apparently ignited interest in the potential to revolutionise transportation, however, their adoption raises critical questions about cost, environmental impact, safety and infrastructure, with questions raised about the high production costs, which is currently around four times the cost of diesel and energy efficiency concerns, with scaling hydrogen production to reduce costs remaining a major challenge.
There are also serious questions about the environmental impact of hydrogen production, in particular green versus grey hydrogen, because while green hydrogen produced via using renewable energy offers near-zero emissions, most hydrogen in the US today is derived from fossil fuel generated electricity, which is known as grey or blue hydrogen, with CO2 emissions during production.
There is also a question over hydrogen’s water vapour emissions, because although water vapour is the only by product from a hydrogen fuel cell, its localised warming effects are minimal compared to CO2.
There also some deep seated qualms about flammability risks, which dates back to the Hindenburg Disaster in 1929. While that ill-fated airship used hydrogen as its “lighter than air” lifting agent, it was actually filled with 17 tonnes of hydrogen in a loose fitting and static prone ‘balloon’. Modern hydrogen storage tanks however, are designed to withstand extreme impacts. Despite this those deep seated public concerns about safety persist, despite the Hindenburg disaster having taken place almost 100 years ago.
Innovations in tank durability and emergency response systems are crucial for public trust and needs to be communicated
Hydrogen vehicles do perform well across various temperatures but face challenges such as freezing water vapour emissions in particularly cold climates, such as those encountered in the Northern states of the USA and across Canada in winter months. Engineers have designed integrated heating systems into the Hyundai FCEVs, which mitigate these issues.
There are other significant challenges for hydrogen both here in Australia and in the USA , not the least being distribution and infrastructure provision. The nature of hydrogen calls for specialised storage and refuelling infrastructure, so its widespread adoption will demand significant investment, with the conversion of existing furl stations being one model that could lower costs and make the infrastructure available.
Portable hydrogen generators are being also developed to address refuelling in isolated areas and Hyundai has apparently already been heavily involved in this concept.
On the up side hydrogen vehicles do offer faster refuelling times and lighter energy storage compared to EVs.
Economic and political hurdles, also include the high initial infrastructure costs and lobbying by traditional energy sectors, which remain significant barriers to mass adoption.
