The hydrogen ecosystem is expanding into ships and tractors. It appears to be finding new uses in medium- and long-distance means of transport. The actor leading this trend is Hyundai Motor.
Hyundai Motor on the 2nd signed a multilateral memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the development and commercialization of hydrogen fuel cells for ships with HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Pusan National University at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul. Hyundai Motor is embarking on the development of hydrogen fuel cells that can be applied to a wider range of applications beyond hydrogen-electric passenger and commercial vehicles.
At the MOU signing ceremony, key officials attended, including Ken Ramirez, vice president of HMG Energy & Hydrogen Business at Hyundai Motor, Kim Chang-hwan, vice president in charge of electrification energy solutions at the R&D division, Jang Kwang-pil, vice president of the Future Technology Research Institute at HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, Park Sang-hoo, vice president for external strategy at Pusan National University, and Lee Je-myeong, director of the Hydrogen Ship Technology Center, and they pledged to jointly cooperate on the development and commercialization of hydrogen fuel cells for eco-friendly ship industry promotion.
Under the MOU, Hyundai Motor, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Pusan National University's Hydrogen Ship Technology Center plan to develop a ship hydrogen fuel cell and a hybrid electric propulsion system that combines hydrogen co-fired diesel engines with hydrogen fuel cells, based on Hyundai Motor's fuel cell technology verified through mass production, such as the fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) The All-New NEXO and the hydrogen-electric bus Elec City FCEV, and to commercialize the system as a power source for eco-friendly ships such as liquefied hydrogen carriers. A hydrogen co-fired diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that mixes hydrogen with diesel fuel for combustion, an eco-friendly technology expected to reduce harmful exhaust gases and improve efficiency compared with conventional diesel engines.
As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has strengthened regulations on air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions from ships with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, demand for eco-friendly fuel ships that can reduce carbon emissions, such as hydrogen and LNG, has increased sharply.
The cooperation between Hyundai Motor and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering is meaningful in that it enables them to secure early ship technologies that are more eco-friendly and maximize energy efficiency compared with existing ships, proactively respond to strengthened global ship environmental regulations and seize the rapidly growing next-generation eco-friendly ship market.
During the cooperation period, Hyundai Motor will supply ship-optimized hydrogen fuel cells based on its existing fuel cell technology, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering will be responsible for integrated design of the hybrid electric propulsion system composed of hydrogen co-fired diesel engines and hydrogen fuel cells developed by Hyundai Motor, and Pusan National University will be responsible for evaluation and demonstration of the system designed by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering.
A hydrogen fuel cell is a generator that combines an air-hydrogen supply heat management system with a hydrogen fuel cell stack and generates electricity through the electrochemical reaction of oxygen in the air and hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen tank.
The ship hydrogen fuel cell that Hyundai Motor will develop this time will deliver power to a motor propeller directly coupled with a hydrogen co-fired diesel engine that mixes hydrogen and diesel fuel for combustion, thereby driving the ship.
Hyundai Motor plans to complete development of ship hydrogen fuel cells after a demonstration process led by Pusan National University to lay the technical foundation for entering the eco-friendly ship market, and through a strategic partnership with HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, expand supply of hydrogen fuel cells to global shipping companies.
Ken Ramirez, vice president of Hyundai Motor HMG Energy & Hydrogen Business, said the cooperation is an important first step toward achieving carbon neutrality and expanding a sustainable global maritime industry, and that the combination of Hyundai Motor's hydrogen fuel cell technology, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering's expertise in shipbuilding and marine fields, and Pusan National University's hydrogen ship research capabilities will present a new standard for future marine mobility.
Hyundai Motor will also supply hydrogen-electric tractors it developed using hydrogen fuel cells for demonstration projects to create an eco-friendly logistics ecosystem.
On the 2nd, Hyundai Motor, Ulsan City and domestic logistics companies signed a multilateral memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the domestic real-driving environment demonstration and development of operating technology for hydrogen-electric tractors and held a delivery commemorative event for demonstration vehicles at the Nam-gu riverside of Taehwagang National Garden in Ulsan, with key officials in attendance including Kim Dong-wook, head of strategy at Hyundai Motor and vice president, Jo Sams-hyun, head of business at Hyundai GLOVIS, Kim Doo-kyum, mayor of Ulsan Metropolitan City, and Yoon Du-hwan, president of Ulsan Metropolitancity Corporation.
Hyundai Motor and Ulsan City set a goal to promote port decarbonization by replacing diesel trucks operating near Ulsan Port with eco-friendly hydrogen-electric tractors through cooperation with Hyundai GLOVIS, LOTTE Global Logistics and CJ Logistics, and to contribute to creating a hydrogen-based eco-friendly logistics ecosystem. This is the first time in Korea that the public and private sectors have cooperated to deploy hydrogen-electric tractors on actual freight transport routes.
The hydrogen-electric tractors deployed in this demonstration project are newly developed models tailored to domestic operating environments and regulations, equipped with a 188 kW class hydrogen fuel cell system composed of two hydrogen fuel cells and a drive motor with a maximum output of 350 kW, and hydrogen tank capacity of 68 kg (700 bar), allowing about 760 km of driving on a single charge.
In the demonstration process, Hyundai Motor will be responsible for developing and providing hydrogen-electric tractors, Ulsan City will oversee and support operating costs for the demonstration project, and three logistics companies including Hyundai GLOVIS will be responsible for vehicle operation and providing operation data.
Kim Dong-wook, head of strategy at Hyundai Motor and vice president, said tractors are the vehicles with the highest difficulty in conversion to eco-friendly vehicles, and added that based on the demonstration results they will promote full-scale mass production and distribution of hydrogen-electric heavy trucks to lead the global eco-friendly logistics market.
Meanwhile, through HTWO, Hyundai Motor Group's hydrogen brand and business platform, Hyundai Motor provides customized solutions across all stages of the hydrogen value chain, including production, storage and transportation, and last year acquired Hyundai Mobis's domestic hydrogen fuel cell business to consolidate technology and resources, and is accelerating infrastructure builds to advance its hydrogen business, including constructing the Ulsan hydrogen fuel cell new plant, the fuel cell and the country's first PEM (proton exchange membrane) water electrolysis production base, scheduled to begin operations in 2027.
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