Hyundai is the first company in the world to try to make a hydrogen-fueled “Hydrogen Sanitation Truck”. Both the engine and the sanitation motor are hydrogen fuel cell powered.
In the second half of this year, Hyundai will deliver medium-sized hydrogen sanitation vehicles to Changwon City, Gyeongnam. Since last year, Hyundai has created a hydrogen road sanitation vehicle based on the medium-sized hydrogen garbage collection vehicle that has been in demonstration operation for the past year.
Two Nexo-applied hydrogen fuel cell units provide 240 kilowatts of power to the hydrogen garbage collection vehicle. With a specially designed motor, it is possible to climb a steep hill with a body weight of 9.5 tons and 4.5 tons of garbage. At 60 km/h steady speed, a maximum standard mileage of 599 kilometers is possible.
There is also a large-scale hydrogen garbage collection vehicle. Hyundai recently teamed up with domestic specialty car companies and component companies to develop a large-scale hydrogen garbage collection vehicle after the medium-sized one. After completing the 1st development next year, the performance will be checked, and the time for mass production will be confirmed.
The large-scale hydrogen garbage collection vehicle is based on Hyundai’s previous extreme hydrogen electric truck. The hydrogen-electric truck Extreme was fitted with a stack of two hydrogen fuel cells and a 72 kWh battery, totaling 180 kW. The 350kW maximum power motor can go 400 kilometers. The hydrogen garbage collection vehicle is propelled by a hydrogen fuel cell that also powers the cleaning engine. Unlike conventional garbage collecting vehicles powered by a light oil engine, there are no emissions and significantly less noise.
There is a great deal of interest in Hyundai’s hydrogen-powered vehicles for garbage collecting vehicles across South Korea. The order placed by Hyundai in cooperation with the city and other stakeholders exceeds 10 units. Municipalities across the country own more than 1,800 sanitation vehicles, so supply volume is expected to increase dramatically. Earlier this year, Seoul announced a comprehensive urban cleanliness initiative, stating that by 2030 it will replace 255 trucks and 2118 vans with eco-friendly vehicles.
Hyundai’s development of hydrogen-powered specialized cars is an attempt to carve out a commercial hydrogen vehicle niche. Hydrogen commercial cars have a greater price than internal combustion engines and separate infrastructure for hydrogen charging. Considering this, it is established that specific vehicles in the public sector, such as sanitation vehicles, are more suitable for generating demand than standard commercial vehicles. Hyundai anticipates that the hydrogen special vehicle will help it capture the worldwide eco-friendly commercial vehicle market, including North America and Europe, in the future.
Hyundai was selected as one of the final suppliers in the bid for the Port of California’s Green Truck Adoption Project in July last year and will supply 30 hydrogen-electric trucks starting in the second quarter of 2023. By 2025, the contract volume of hydrogen-electric trucks to be exported to Switzerland will reach 1600 units.
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