A $53 million project brings Hyundai hydrogen trucks to California

On By Vaseline

The Center for Transportation and the Environment launched a project in California to develop Hyundai Motor Co.’s hydrogen-powered trucks. to stimulate emission-free freight transport to the state. (Photo: Hyundai engine)



The Center for Transportation and the Environment launched a project in California to develop Hyundai Motor Co.’s hydrogen-powered trucks. to stimulate emission-free freight transport to the state.

The $53 million project, NorCal Zero, will bring 30 of Hyundai’s Xcient Fuel Cell electric trucks to the San Francisco Bay and Central Valley areas, CTE said in a news release. The Xcient is touted as the world’s first mass-produced heavy-duty truck powered by hydrogen.

Officials celebrated the project’s launch last week at the dedication of a hydrogen fueling station in West Oakland.

“Hyundai is incredibly proud and grateful to be part of the largest-ever deployment of heavy-duty fuel cell electric trucks in North America. The Oakland community is leading the way in clean, sustainable trucking and serves as a blueprint for many more deployments across the U.S.,” said Jim Park, senior vice president at Hyundai Motor North America, in the release.

CTE, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Atlanta that develops and deploys zero-emission vehicles and supporting infrastructure, estimates that the project has the potential to avoid 24,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions – equivalent to the emissions produced by consuming nearly 2 .4 million liters of diesel.

The trucks can travel more than 700 kilometers on a single tank of hydrogen, the release said. According to Hyundai, they are currently being used in Switzerland.

Hyundai has been working to build a comprehensive hydrogen mobility ecosystem across North America, the company said in a press release.

The hydrogen fueling station is located in a historically Black and Latino community impacted by the highways and diesel trucks that travel to and from the Port of Oakland. The nonprofit called it the largest in the world, designed to support up to 200 trucks and back-to-back refueling.

“Port-adjacent communities like West Oakland suffer disproportionately from the impacts of diesel freight, so we’re excited to explore how alternatives like hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks can move us toward our zero emissions goals,” West Oakland Environmental Co-Director Indicators Project. Brian Beveridge said in the release. “We look forward to a day when our community can breathe easy without the fear of toxic cargo emissions.”

Papé Group maintains the trucks at the San Leandro factory. The company has upgraded its facility with hydrogen detection and ventilation equipment to service the trucks. The University of California Berkeley and the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project are collecting data on the project.