'Hydrogen Council CEO Summit' co-chair Hyundai Motor Group expanded the hydrogen value chain even further. This is not the scale of accessing hydrogen through hydrogen fuel vehicles. While the popularization of hydrogen fuel vehicles has been delayed, Hyundai Motor Group expanded the green hydrogen value chain to encompass the entire hydrogen ecosystem.
At the World Hydrogen Expo 2025 (WHE 2025), which opened Dec. 4 at KINTEX in Goyang, Hyundai Motor Group clearly showcased the further expanded value chain. As co-chair of the Hydrogen Council CEO Summit, Hyundai Motor Group was strengthening its position as a global hydrogen leader by expanding partnerships related to hydrogen technologies.
WHE 2025 is a hydrogen industry expo newly launched this year that integrates H2 MEET, the country's representative hydrogen industry exhibition held since 2020, and last year's largest domestic international hydrogen conference held during Hydrogen Day (Nov. 2).
Under the theme 'Hydrogen Pioneers: Innovate, Unite, and Accelerate,' WHE 2025 runs Dec. 4–7 at KINTEX Hall 2 in Goyang, Gyeonggi, and about 250 corporations from more than 20 countries around the world, including major domestic firms, are participating.
At this exhibition, seven group companies including Hyundai Motor, Kia, Hyundai Steel, Hyundai E&C, Hyundai Engineering, Hyundai GLOVIS and Hyundai Rotem set up a joint booth centered on HTWO, Hyundai Motor Group's hydrogen brand and business platform, introducing technologies and capabilities across the hydrogen value chain—hydrogen production/hydrogen refueling and storage/hydrogen mobility/industrial applications—along with various real-world use cases.
Side events also include the HTWO Award, which presents plaques of appreciation to logistics industry figures who contributed to the domestic spread of hydrogen commercial vehicles; a test-drive program to experience the driving performance of Hyundai Motor's hydrogen electric vehicle the all-new NEXO; and the Hydrogen Academy, which offers expert lectures on Hyundai Motor Group's hydrogen technologies and businesses.
Hyundai Motor Group vice chairman Jang Jae-hoon said, "Expanding renewable energy is essential to meet the surging electricity demand driven by the spread of AI, and hydrogen is the most powerful solution that can complement the intermittency of renewable energy, increase efficiency, and at the same time store and utilize it," adding, "Converting surplus power into hydrogen can reduce the burden on the power grid and make the energy system more flexible. Hydrogen is a game changer for the future energy transition."
At WHE 2025, Hyundai Motor Group will showcase a variety of the group's hydrogen production technologies—such as PEM electrolysis, W2H and ammonia cracking—to increase energy production efficiency and support distributed grid construction.
PEM (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane) electrolysis is a technology that produces high-purity clean hydrogen by electrolyzing water using the reverse reaction of hydrogen fuel cells, and Hyundai Motor Group plans to produce the first domestic PEM electrolysis systems at its new hydrogen fuel cell plant in Ulsan scheduled for completion in 2027.
At this exhibition, Hyundai Motor Group will display a PEM electrolysis mockup so visitors can intuitively understand the principles and value of the technology, and will screen content explaining production principles using transparent LEDs to enhance immersion.
Hyundai Motor Group will also introduce cases of hydrogen production based on PEM electrolysis technology in various regions, including the ongoing 1MW-class electrolysis-based hydrogen production base construction projects in Buan, Jeonbuk and Boryung, Chungnam, and a plan to develop a 5MW-class PEM electrolysis facility in Jeju by 2029.
Hyundai Motor Group plans to build a 1GW-scale large electrolysis plant in the southwest coastal area, where renewable energy is abundant, and to establish nearby infrastructure such as a hydrogen shipping center and refueling stations, with the aim of promoting the development of a hydrogen AI new town in the future.
Hyundai Motor Group is exhibiting the W2H (Waste-to-Hydrogen) resource-circulating hydrogen production model being pursued in Cheongju, Chungbuk; Paju, Gyeonggi; and Indonesia, and is also showing demonstrations of ammonia cracking conducted in cooperation with Jeonbuk State, allowing visitors to easily understand each technology's production process and key features.
Hyundai Motor Group will also showcase innovative refueling technologies that expand hydrogen infrastructure and improve operational efficiency, as well as hydrogen storage technologies suitable for large-scale energy supply.
Hyundai Motor Group will introduce a second-generation 700-bar mobile hydrogen refueling station at the exhibition. The mobile hydrogen refueling station is an integrated facility in which a truck or large trailer carries all key equipment—hydrogen compressors, storage vessels, coolers and dispensers—and it can be deployed first in areas lacking refueling infrastructure to discover initial demand and overcome spatial constraints. Hyundai Motor Group currently operates the country's first green-hydrogen-linked mobile hydrogen refueling station, the H2 Jeju Moving Station, in Jeju.
Hyundai Motor Group's Robotics Lab will demonstrate refueling of the all-new NEXO using the Automatic Charging Robot‑Hydrogen (ACR‑H). The ACR‑H was developed based on vision AI and high-precision control technologies to precisely recognize the positions of the vehicle and the refueling port and reliably connect the port and connector. Because it enables 24-hour unmanned operation without time constraints, when used with existing hydrogen dispensers it can contribute to improving hydrogen station operational efficiency and customer convenience.
Hyundai Motor Group will also present a mockup of an exchangeable hydrogen storage system. The exchangeable hydrogen storage system replaces hydrogen storage tank modules; when fuel runs low, precharged tanks can be quickly attached and detached using an internal crane. One module stores about 32 kg of hydrogen. This eliminates the need for separate refueling equipment such as high-pressure hydrogen storage tanks, compressors and pressure‑reducing devices in urban or remote areas, overcoming the limits of existing infrastructure expansion.
At WHE 2025, Hyundai Motor Group will showcase the latest hydrogen mobility lineup expanded across various industries beyond commercial and passenger vehicles to agricultural machinery, ships and defense.
On display are the completely redesigned model the all-new NEXO, released seven years after the first launch in 2018, and an improved product version of the high-speed large bus Universe hydrogen electric bus, which can travel up to 960.4 km on a single charge. The all-new NEXO has proven its strong product competitiveness by surpassing cumulative sales of 7,000 units within three months of launch, and as of the end of October this year nearly 1,000 Universe hydrogen electric buses have been supplied, continuing to contribute to the expansion of clean transportation services.
The Xcient fuel cell truck is the world's first mass‑produced hydrogen fuel cell large truck, sold in major markets including Korea, the United States, Switzerland and Germany, and has achieved a cumulative driving distance of 19 million kilometers, earning recognition for its environmental performance and technology. At WHE 2025, Hyundai Motor Group unveiled a new V‑shaped radiator grill design and separated the cab for display so visitors can directly inspect the hydrogen tanks and fuel cell system.
The exhibition also features a hydrogen all‑terrain vehicle (ATV). The hydrogen ATV is an eco‑friendly light combat vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel cells; it generates less heat and noise than conventional internal combustion vehicles and is designed to be lightweight enough for air transport. Hyundai Motor Group is pursuing development of military hydrogen mobility by combining the group's defense technologies, fuel cell technologies and hydrogen value chain capabilities, and is working on off‑grid hydrogen solutions that can produce and consume power independently without connecting to existing grids for energy security and defense.
Hyundai Motor Group will also exhibit a hydrogen electric boat and an agricultural hydrogen electric tractor equipped with the group's hydrogen fuel cell systems to demonstrate that hydrogen fuel cell solutions are suitable not only for high‑power, high‑load tasks but also for long‑distance navigation and long‑duration operations.
At WHE 2025, Hyundai Motor Group will introduce the expanding uses of hydrogen as an energy source across various industries.
At the booth, a diorama implementing carbon‑reduction steel product manufacturing processes and process‑by‑process reduction roadmaps offers a preview of the electric‑arc steel mill in the United States targeted to begin operations in 2029. In the short term, Hyundai Motor Group plans to apply renewable energy and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies, and in the long term to introduce hydrogen into iron ore reduction processes to transition to a carbon‑neutral steel production system.
A 'hydrogen burner,' an eco‑friendly facility that uses the heat generated by mixing hydrogen and air and burning it, will also be exhibited.
Starting with the paint oven at Hyundai Motor's Ulsan plant, Hyundai Motor Group plans to gradually expand the application of hydrogen burners to manufacturing processes that require high temperatures, converting about 5,000 LNG burners in domestic production processes to hydrogen burners in the future. The group also intends to expand adoption to North American and European production bases to build a hydrogen‑based eco‑friendly manufacturing system.
Also on display are a 100 kW hydrogen fuel cell generator planned for introduction at the Pyeongtaek Kia‑Hyundai GLOVIS vehicle export and import terminal; hydrogen fuel cell AGVs (automated guided vehicles) that can contribute to port decarbonization by applying fuel cells to container cargo automatic transfer; hydrogen fuel cell powerpacks; and hydrogen fuel cell forklifts that mount powerpacks as power sources for construction machinery and industrial equipment, showcasing Hyundai Motor Group's efforts to reduce carbon emissions through hydrogen use across various industries.
At the Hydrogen Council CEO Summit held Dec. 2–4, Hyundai Motor Group led strategic discussions to expand the global hydrogen ecosystem and strengthened close ties with major global hydrogen company leaders. The Hydrogen Council is the world's only global CEO‑led body on hydrogen, with members from major industries such as energy, chemicals and automakers. The Hydrogen Council CEO Summit, hosted by the council, is an event to share visions and long‑term ambitions for hydrogen and discuss new cooperation and development directions for the clean energy transition. This year's CEO Summit, held for the first time in Korea, was attended by CEOs of 100 global companies and about 200 hydrogen industry leaders, and as co‑chair Hyundai Motor Group led various discussions aimed at revitalizing the hydrogen ecosystem.
In particular, Hyundai Motor Group vice chairman Jang Jae-hoon, co‑chair of the Hydrogen Council, joined François Jackow, chairman of Air Liquide, who was appointed co‑chair succeeding Sanjiv Lamba, CEO of Linde, to reaffirm their commitment to strengthening global hydrogen industry leadership.
Hyundai Motor Group vice chairman Jang Jae-hoon said, "The CEO Summit, held for the first time in Korea, sought practical measures with global leaders for demand creation, infrastructure expansion and acceleration of global cooperation, presenting a decisive turning point for the hydrogen industry," adding, "With firm policy support and strong public‑private cooperation, the hydrogen industry can make meaningful change."
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