Hydrogen Wave | Hydrogen For Everyone, Everything, Everywhere
You have just seen a video of the new concept TRAILER DRONE that we are currently developing. If this TRAILER DRONE could actually run on the road, how would it change the environment around us? Most commercial vehicles use diesel, and have large engines that produce a lot of emissions. To address this issue Hyundai Motor Group has envisioned a TRAILER DRONE using hydrogen as an energy source. It emits only pure water as a byproduct and drives fully autonomously.
This new concept shows how an automaker can contribute to tackling climate change. We've experienced extreme weather around the world in recent years. There are heatwaves in some places and downpours and floods in others. Countries and companies are developing feasible carbon neutral solutions to help combat global warming. Hyundai Motor Group's solution to this problem is to encourage a shift in the energy paradigm to hydrogen. I'm here today to tell you that hydrogen is a powerful solution for combatting climate change.
We have long understood the tremendous potential of hydrogen energy. So, over the past 20 years we have devoted significant resources and talents to develop hydrogen-based technologies. As a result of these long-term efforts our hydrogen passenger and commercial vehicles are already in-use around the world, helping to popularize hydrogen energy. In recent years, countries and companies have actively pursued this change by making bold investments in hydrogen infrastructure. Then, what does Hyundai Motor Group's vision for a future hydrogen society look like? Our vision covers not only passenger and commercial vehicles but also various types of transportation such as trams, trains, ships and Urabn Air Mobility.
Our vision is to apply hydrogen energy in all areas of life and industry such as our homes, work places and factories. The goal is to make hydrogen readily used for Everyone, Everything, and Everywhere. With these breakthroughs we aim to help foster a worldwide Hydrogen Society by 2040. In particular, we'll proactively respond to climate change through our hydrogen solutions starting with the commercial vehicle sector, which emits relatively large amounts of CO2. Going forward Hyundai Motor Group will launch all our new commercial vehicles such as buses and heavy-duty trucks as hydrogen EVs and battery EVs in the global market. By 2028, we plan to become the first global automaker to apply fuel cell system to all commercial vehicle models.
Using these hydrogen commercial vehicles we will promote the complete transition of Korea's public transportation and logistic systems to hydrogen-based solutions. This will be a good model to follow for countries around the world. To achieve this, we're planning to introduce a new fuel cell system in the near future at a reduced price and volume, with significantly improved durability and output. We're confident that, with our vision and technological innovation there'll be great changes in human life comparable to the Industrial Revolution and Digital Revolution.
Now, Mr. Albert Biermann, the President of Hyundai Motor Group in charge of R&D will explain in more detail about how we will achieve this. Albert, please take the stage.
Hello. This is Albert Biermann. When did the hydrogen fuel cell start its career? The first remarkable application of hydrogen fuel cell started in the 1960s for satellites and space crafts of the 'Gemini' and 'Apollo' programs. We expected that bringing hydrogen fuel cells to the public would not be easy.
Nonetheless Hyundai Motor Group anticipated the future potential of hydrogen fuel cells at an early stage. In 1998 Hyundai started to develop a hydrogen fuel cell car and has made continuous efforts to make significant progress to the present day. In February 2013 Tucson FCEV was released for the first time in the world opening the door to the mass-production of fuel cell EVs.
Then, in 2018 Hyundai released the next-generation hydrogen fuel cell SUV, NEXO. Our NEXO is ranked as the FCEV with the most sales worldwide. But we didn't stop there. We plan to use our fuel cell EVs in various fields. First is the key to logistics: trucks.
The big challenges in long haul, zero emission, heavy-duty truck operation is refueling time and range. The zero emission powertrain of our XCIENT Fuel Cell truck consists of two NEXO fuel cell systems a hybrid high voltage battery for energy recuperation and a powerful electric motor. Our Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell truck is the first mass-produced, heavy-duty fuel cell truck in the world and started operating in Switzerland last summer. Our fleet keeps growing and we currently have 45 XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks on the road.
They cover over 210,000 km of zero emission operations each month and avoid an equivalent of over 130 tons of CO₂ every month. We are remotely monitoring each of our XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks like a Le Mans race car using our latest Smart Vehicle Monitoring Technology, and so far my engineers are very satisfied with their performance, efficiency and reliability. From the start XCIENT has also met customer expectations even in challenging aspects, such as refueling time and range. Let’s hear from the logistics company and the driver in Switzerland about their experience with XCIENT Fuel Cell truck. Hello. Good morning, Mr. Galliker.
It must be really nice in Switzerland. Can you tell us a little about the Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell truck? Good morning Mr. Biermann, with really pleasure. We currently have six Hyundai fuel cell trucks in operation. The XCIENT is really impressive with its quality and reliability.
Thanks to the ability to drive in trailer mode, the loading volume and the payload in our case are identical to a conventional truck. Also, thanks to the fuel cell technology, the refueling time is short and we can fully use the truck in our usual operating structure during the day for distribution and in the evening for shuttle operations. Michael, what do you think about the XCIENT? The truck is sturdy, quiet, and comfortable to drive.
We've had good feedback from customers and I have a lot of fun driving it. Thanks. Thank you and back to the studio. Thank you and continue to have a safe and clean drive with the Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell truck.
Later this year we will be sending an improved XCIENT Fuel Cell truck with even better payload to you in Switzerland. Then we can do even more for the environment together. We have started mass-producing a greatly improved model of the current XCIENT Fuel Cell.
We are also developing a tractor based on XCIENT Fuel Cell that will be released in 2024. Hydrogen fuel cells are not only being used commercially for NEXO SUV, ELEC CITY bus, and XCIENT Fuel Cell truck but are also becoming interesting for high power vehicle applications. Let’s take a look at our first hydrogen powered hybrid sports car prototype, the Vision FK. It has a maximum output of over 500kW and it accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in less than 4 seconds. We expect over 600km of range. Our engineers combined a hydrogen fuel cell energy converter with a high power, rear wheel drive, plug-in PE system.
Hyundai’s high performance car brand, Hyundai N has proved its technological prowess by winning many international motorsport competitions. Now such technological prowess will be applied to the high performance fuel cell EVs and could eventually compete in motorsports. I have to admit that the Vision FK prototype is a bit of technical overkill but it is an exciting challenge for our ambitious engineers. The packaging situation is extremely complicated. So, we decided to collaborate with Rimac Automobili in which Hyundai Motor Group invested in 2019. For this Vision FK prototype we developed the power electric system with Rimac while our high performance and fuel cell engineers developed all other systems of the Vision FK prototype.
Here's another use case for hydrogen. Production, storage and transportation convenience are important for the widespread use of the hydrogen fuel cell as an energy converter and power generator. This is our first HTWO, portable hydrogen fuel cell power charger. This powerful zero emission charger was developed to charge high performance electric race cars that are participating in Electric Touring Car Racing, the ETCR. Infrastructure and temperature independency immediate and dynamic power generation zero emission and high reliability also play a key role in producing emergency electricity at remote and sensitive locations where a power supply is difficult. Hyundai's hydrogen fuel cell technology is not limited to vehicles.
This is an eco-friendly tram that uses hydrogen fuel cell. There is also a rescue drone that can extinguish fires and save lives. The eco-friendly hydrogen fuel cell has vast potential, for use in several next-generation forms of mobility, such as trams and UAMs. Hyundai's plans to develop hydrogen fuel cell so that they can be applied to various mobility devices beyond passenger and commercial vehicles.
Now, shall we look at the next-generation of fuel cell system technology that Hyundai Motor Group is developing? Saehoon, please, now it is your turn. Good morning, afternoon and evening, everyone! My name is Saehoon Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of Fuel Cell Center at Hyundai Motor Group. I'm honored to speak at this very special event. Today, I'd like to talk about the present and future of hydrogen technology particularly our fuel cell system and related efforts toward fostering a renewable energy society.
My good old, Japanese friend Prof. Hirose once told me that nomads preserve milk as cheese left over from the summer and use it as a milk substitute during winter. When a renewable energy society is established hydrogen will play a similar role to cheese. Converting excess electricity generated by solar or wind power into hydrogen will be very useful for storing large amounts of energy and transporting it over long distances. So, electricity is like milk and hydrogen is like cheese.
See what I mean? Countries around the world are looking to use hydrogen as an energy alternative for a global carbon neutral society. European countries and the United States have boldly announced visions for hydrogen economies and are supporting infrastructure development in transportation and manufacturing. But many people still wonder about hydrogen technology and are skeptical if it could be really used in everyday life. Today, let me show you that fuel cell is a proven technology that can deliver the benefits of hydrogen to people around the world in various fields.
Basically, a fuel cell is a power generator like an engine. It differs from a battery, which stores electricity. A fuel cell system consists of a fuel cell stack that generates electricity a hydrogen supply system an air supply system and a thermal management system. It generates power by combining hydrogen and oxygen similar to the engine of an internal combustion vehicle but without the carbon emissions.
Unlike a battery that passively stores energy a fuel cell system produces energy through chemical reactions and operates as long as hydrogen fuel is supplied. The science is simple. Fuel cell is just a reverse reaction of water electrolysis that many of you learned in school.
As recently as 15 years ago many people still had doubts about hydrogen fuel cell technology. Its success depended on miracles in four areas. Hydrogen production Hydrogen storage Fuel cell technology and Infrastructure. At that time I fully agreed that resolving these four challenges would not be easy. However since then, Hyundai Motor Group has undertaken the challenges and hasn't given up.
Today, clean hydrogen production is one of the most promising means for successfully achieving the European Green Deal and gigawatt scale projects have already been announced. Recently, the EU and US announced their plans to support the establishment of a hydrogen-refueling infrastructure. At least for long haul commercial trucks there is consensus that hydrogen and fuel cells offer the best alternative to diesel powertrains. We're now at the point where we can confidently show you our vision for realizing a global hydrogen society. The core competitiveness of fuel cell technology is comprised of cost and durability. The most important part for cost reduction is the stack.
There are around 400 cells combined in a stack and the cost of this part accounts for the largest portion. The structure of a fuel cell is shown in the figure. The cell consists of 2 bipolar plates which provide flow channels for hydrogen and oxygen and support the structure of the stack, 2 gas diffusion layers and a membrane electrode assembly, which is called MEA.
MEA forms the core of a fuel cell and is a key component that generates electricity by causing a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Reducing the cost of these components is the key to cost competitiveness. In the case of bipolar plates we have reduced the price by replacing the graphite materials to stainless steel. There were worries that stainless steel would corrode and would not last long in an acidic fuel cell environment. But, after more than 10 years of development we're successfully using stainless steel even without special coating for cathode bipolar plates. I still hear people saying that fuel cells are expensive because they require a large amount of platinum.
That was true 10 years ago. But actually, platinum is not the major cost factor now. And we're steadily reducing the amount of platinum used as a catalyst.
Let me show you how the cost of a fuel cell system has decreased. In the past the cost of a fuel cell vehicle was extremely expensive and was notoriously called a 'million-dollar car'. For example, the cost of the fuel cell system applied to a prototype vehicle in early 2003 was triple the price of my house in Seoul. However in 2006, the cost was reduced by half. The cost of the first-generation fuel cell system installed in the first mass-produced Tucson FCEV in 2013 was reduced to about 10% of the first model developed 10 years before.
As you can see in the graph fuel cell costs have been reduced by nearly 98% over the past two decades. However the fuel cell vehicle market is still at the early stage of development. Only 10 to 15 thousand fuel cell vehicles are produced per year and we're not yet benefiting from economies of scale. In comparison, there are 4 to 5 million EVs and nearly 100 million ICE vehicles produced per year.
So, we still have work to do. Our goal is to achieve cost competitiveness comparable to that of EV batteries by 2030. I also want to point out that durability improvements are progressing at a fast pace. Durability of a fuel cell system depends on various chemical conditions which makes durability more difficult to ensure. During 2004 to 2009 the US Department of Energy launched a Fuel Cell Vehicle Demonstration Project in order to verify the durability of fuel cell cars.
The average durability of the fuel cell stacks at that time was only 821 hours which is only one and a half year of durability. This was another reason why people doubted that fuel cell technology could be commercialized. Today the industry standard for durability is 5,000 hours which corresponds to the 10 year lifecycle of passenger cars. For commercial vehicles the durability requirement is much tougher from 500,000 to 1 million km.
I'm sure this requirement can be achieved in the near future by using better materials, engineering, and operation technologies. We're focused on achieving cost reduction and improving durability throughout our development activities. Today I'm going to share details about the next-generation fuel cell system that Hyundai Motor Group will launch in the near future. It's a third-generation system under development to succeed NEXO's current system. The one on the left is a 100kW class system and the one on the right is a 200kW class system.
Compared to NEXO's system the 100kW version is significantly smaller as we reduced its volume by 30% which ultimately improves vehicle packaging. Compared to NEXO's system the 200kW version is almost the same in size but with twice the output. This version was developed for commercial trucks. By using two systems per truck we can provide around 350kW which is equivalent to the power of the current diesel engines. We have arranged the first and second generation systems here for your reference. It’s easy to see the difference.
In 2013, it was about this size, we had difficulty putting this system in the vehicle, as you can imagine. But the system applied to NEXO in 2018 was reduced in this size like this. The third-generation system to be applied in 2023 is this size. It's still in its prototype stage.
So by the time it goes into mass-production you'll see a system with a much more refined level of completion. The fuel cell power module is a system that's being promoted for the development of megawatt scale power generation systems. It's possible to provide various outputs such as 500kW and 1MW by expanding several 100kW unit modular systems. If the technology improves it can be assembled like LEGO blocks to produce high capacity output.
Just imagine the possibilities. Some people say that replacing conventional power systems with fuel cell is easy but they are wrong. Other people say it's impossible but they are also wrong.
It's very challenging demanding us to exert unprecedented efforts but we're confident that it's possible. And we, Hyundai will pave the way for the global hydrogen economy with our fuel cells powered by 'HTWO' Thank you for your interest and support. Now, let's hear from SangYup about the design of future hydrogen mobility. Thank you Saehoon. Ladies and gentlemen, I am SangYup Lee. As a car designer, last year was a major wake up call.
For a brief time, when some countries went into complete lockdown, personal mobility was taken away. At the same time, there were glimpses of hope. We saw signs of the earth trying to heal itself. So at Hyundai, we went back to the drawing board to think back from the basics.
We had to think different. We knew we had the tools. Let me take you back about 10 years. Do you remember when the smartphone was introduced to the public? It was a perfect storm of new technologies that resulted in the creation of a completely new value chain. What used to be just a phone is a now a highly emotional product with great design, immaculate sound quality, endless media you can stream on the go. A completely new value chain has emerged around it.
Do you remember the word 'telephone'? When was the last time you used that word? At Hyundai, mobility isn't limited to people. We do cargo. Incredible volumes of cargo are transported in trailers, in trains, and in ships. This sounds like a distant industry but it is actually closer than you may think. That package you ordered. The brand new car you are waiting for.
They are transported to your front door through a seamless, worldwide logistics system. Due to COVID-19 this system was crippled by inefficiencies last year. It also shed light on the much needed update to an archaic logistics system.
Hyundai is well positioned to lead this change with a broad business portfolio from automobiles to steel, construction and trains. We are ideally equipped to deploy and rapidly scale innovative technologies. We have been researching for some time now. Back in 2019 we introduced our vision of Hydrogen fuel cell commercial vehicle with the Neptune concept. At CES 2020, we presented the Purpose Built Vehicle pushing the boundaries of what is possible when systems go fully autonomous.
This blank design slate is a never-before-experienced dream opportunity, and we put everything that we learned in the last few years into this project. The culmination of that effort is the fuel cell e-Bogie. Creating the e-Bogie wasn't as easy as putting one and one together. The requirements of the commercial vehicle was significantly different from that of passenger cars.
Who knew? So, we had to think completely differently and consider the modularity needed to cover a vast network of the value chain. Devoid of passengers, we could encase the entire fuel cell system in the dedicated chassis. With a fully autonomous system, a steering system could be placed at both the front and the rear.
What does this do? It enables the sideways movements. Lastly, the intelligent packaging resulted in the entire system being compact enough to sit under the container. Hence, the term Bogie that originates from the rail industry. Rail bogies are wheel subframes that sit under every train car.
The e-Bogie really is more like a smart robot than a traditional car. Just like the smartphone revolution, the fuel cell e-Bogie is a platform that offers limitless business application. Large and heavy containers are limited by their size and the space they require to move.
But with two e-Bogies in a double bogie configuration under a container, they can articulate movement from beneath. It helps them minimize the turning radius or to slide sideways into a tight spot. Logistical efficiency is further enhanced by the 'Cluster Mode'. This allows multiple TRAILER DRONEs or a single e-Bogie to travel together, in unison, in what is an almost train like configuration.
It is a true multi-purpose platform that can be adapted to an even wider value chain. Container transportation Portside logistic Airport operation Construction Fire and Rescue Ladies and Gentlemen, Fuel cells, Trucks, Trailers, and Robots. All these business can now be supported by a single platform. There's an old saying Store new wine in new wineskin. We will realize hydrogen mobility that will accelerate human progress.
And Hyundai's innovative design approach will be the key to this transformation. Thank you for your time. Now, to wrap up our presentation today, let's hear once again from our leader Chairman Chung. What do you think of our story so far? Our presentation today is not just about showcasing Hyundai's corporate performance and vision.
We sincerely want to offer a practical solution for the sustainable development of humanity and our planet. In the meantime, the degree and frequency of environmental disasters is rising fast. In a recent landmark assessment global experts said that we now face "code red for humanity". Global cooperation is crucial and urgent.
This may be the last train to a hydrogen society and time is running out. There's no question that hydrogen is one of the most powerful and pragmatic solutions for overcoming environmental challenges. However, it will take a large global community to foster a hydrogen society. to foster a hydrogen society. No single company or government can do it alone.
As a responsible member of the global community, Hyundai Motor Group will strive to advance the hydrogen society. Hyundai Motor Group will strive to advance the hydrogen society. The 'Hydrogen Wave' has already started to swell.
We welcome all of you to ride this 'Wave of Innovation' to the shore of a new energy paradigm. Thank you.
2021-09-08 20:58
