Hyundai Motor Company at a trade show in Nevada today said it is developing megawatt-scale polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzer manufacturing capabilities for green hydrogen production. It expects to commercialize them within the next few years. Hyundai, through sharing components of fuel cell systems claims that it can achieve a competitive price compared to existing PEM technologies. They are evolved from technology used by NASA to explore space and come with moonshot prices.
“At Hyundai, we believe that science and humanity are two sides of the same coin; that advanced technology should also make people’s lives better,” said Jay Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. “Clean hydrogen should be for everyone, powering everything, and available everywhere.”
The current market price of PEM electrolyzers is about~1.5 times higher than that of alkaline electrolyzers. The Korean conglomerate is confident the price will drop below the alkaline electrolyzers through component sharing. Hydrogen, the most plentiful element in the universe, is being pursued by numerous multinational automakers as the potential solution to global warming produced by the use of fossil fuels. (AutoInformed on Hyundai Motor, Kia, Gore to Develop Hydrogen Fuel Cell PEMs)*
A hydrogen fuel cell uses the PEM to conduct protons between two electrodes. The PEM blocks the direct combination of incoming hydrogen and oxygen gases, enabling the selective conduction of protons and, in turn, generating an electrical current to power a vehicle. The PEM technology plays an essential role in determining the performance and durability of the fuel cell system.
Furthermore, the Group is concentrating on resource circulation hydrogen production technology that aims to transform environmental pollutants into clean hydrogen. The resource circulation technology that Hyundai focuses on includes two approaches: Waste-to-Hydrogen (W2H) and Plastic-to-Hydrogen (P2H). W2H involves the fermentation of organic waste, such as food, sludge and livestock manure, to generate biogas. This biogas is then treated to capture carbon dioxide and produce hydrogen. P2H, on the other hand, involves melting waste plastics that cannot be recycled, gasifying the molten plastics and producing hydrogen by removing unnecessary elements.
Hyundai Motor Group had already announced a commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, with a so-called RE100 roadmap to use 100% renewable energy in its overseas factories by 2045 and in every Group entity by 2050. Hydrogen energy is central in achieving those objectives.
Hyundai Motor Group claims 25 years of exploring hydrogen technology, which led to the establishment of the HTWO hydrogen business brand in 2020. HTWO stands for H2, the hydrogen molecule, and also Humanity. The Group is expanding its fuel cell business globally, covering various sectors, including passenger and commercial vehicles, marine vessels, aerospace applications, and power generation.
Hyundai is involved in hydrogen-related demonstration projects in the U.S. where it plans to apply the HTWO Grid solution centered on utilization. This includes participation in the NorCAL ZERO project in Northern California, which involves 30 Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks to support the decarbonization of the Port of Oakland. The Group will also play part of the ‘Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs’ program, part of a $7 billion US government initiative for hydrogen infrastructure development.
In Georgia, it is working on the Clean Logistics Project, the development of a hydrogen mobility value chain at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA). This dedicated electric vehicle (EV) factory under construction in Georgia expects to produce up to 300,000 EVs annually. Through the Clean Logistics Project, the Metaplant will integrate a comprehensive hydrogen value chain, commencing with the deployment of XCIENT Fuel Cell tractors to manage the logistics of the plant with the aim of establishing the foundations of a hydrogen infrastructure.
“At Hyundai, we believe that science and humanity are two sides of the same coin; that advanced technology should also make people’s lives better,” said Jay Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. “Clean hydrogen should be for everyone, powering everything, and available everywhere.”
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Hyundai Shows its Hydrogen Value Chain
Hyundai Motor Company at a trade show in Nevada today said it is developing megawatt-scale polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzer manufacturing capabilities for green hydrogen production. It expects to commercialize them within the next few years. Hyundai, through sharing components of fuel cell systems claims that it can achieve a competitive price compared to existing PEM technologies. They are evolved from technology used by NASA to explore space and come with moonshot prices.
“At Hyundai, we believe that science and humanity are two sides of the same coin; that advanced technology should also make people’s lives better,” said Jay Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. “Clean hydrogen should be for everyone, powering everything, and available everywhere.”
The current market price of PEM electrolyzers is about~1.5 times higher than that of alkaline electrolyzers. The Korean conglomerate is confident the price will drop below the alkaline electrolyzers through component sharing. Hydrogen, the most plentiful element in the universe, is being pursued by numerous multinational automakers as the potential solution to global warming produced by the use of fossil fuels. (AutoInformed on Hyundai Motor, Kia, Gore to Develop Hydrogen Fuel Cell PEMs)*
A hydrogen fuel cell uses the PEM to conduct protons between two electrodes. The PEM blocks the direct combination of incoming hydrogen and oxygen gases, enabling the selective conduction of protons and, in turn, generating an electrical current to power a vehicle. The PEM technology plays an essential role in determining the performance and durability of the fuel cell system.
Furthermore, the Group is concentrating on resource circulation hydrogen production technology that aims to transform environmental pollutants into clean hydrogen. The resource circulation technology that Hyundai focuses on includes two approaches: Waste-to-Hydrogen (W2H) and Plastic-to-Hydrogen (P2H). W2H involves the fermentation of organic waste, such as food, sludge and livestock manure, to generate biogas. This biogas is then treated to capture carbon dioxide and produce hydrogen. P2H, on the other hand, involves melting waste plastics that cannot be recycled, gasifying the molten plastics and producing hydrogen by removing unnecessary elements.
Hyundai Motor Group had already announced a commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, with a so-called RE100 roadmap to use 100% renewable energy in its overseas factories by 2045 and in every Group entity by 2050. Hydrogen energy is central in achieving those objectives.
Hyundai is involved in hydrogen-related demonstration projects in the U.S. where it plans to apply the HTWO Grid solution centered on utilization. This includes participation in the NorCAL ZERO project in Northern California, which involves 30 Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks to support the decarbonization of the Port of Oakland. The Group will also play part of the ‘Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs’ program, part of a $7 billion US government initiative for hydrogen infrastructure development.
In Georgia, it is working on the Clean Logistics Project, the development of a hydrogen mobility value chain at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA). This dedicated electric vehicle (EV) factory under construction in Georgia expects to produce up to 300,000 EVs annually. Through the Clean Logistics Project, the Metaplant will integrate a comprehensive hydrogen value chain, commencing with the deployment of XCIENT Fuel Cell tractors to manage the logistics of the plant with the aim of establishing the foundations of a hydrogen infrastructure.
“At Hyundai, we believe that science and humanity are two sides of the same coin; that advanced technology should also make people’s lives better,” said Jay Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. “Clean hydrogen should be for everyone, powering everything, and available everywhere.”
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.