Hyundai Expands Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck Fleet Across California

Hyundai has brought zero-emission freight transportation to San Francisco and California’s Central Valley with the rollout of its NorCAL Zero Project featuring 30 Class 8 XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks.

This project is the largest single commercial deployment of Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell trucks in the United States. Each of the 30 XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks has a 6×4 drive axle configuration and will be refueled at a new hydrogen refueling station recently opened by FirstElement Fuel. This station can fuel up to 200 heavy-duty trucks per day.

Read: Hyundai Brings XCIENT Hydrogen Truck To The U.S.

The project was launched at a special event at the Oakland refueling station and attended by local political representatives, the Port of Oakland, the City of Oakland, and the companies involved. Hyundai says the program can reduce carbon emissions by over 24,000 metric tons compared to diesel-powered trucks.

“The NorCAL ZERO Project in Oakland marks a significant step forward in realizing Hyundai’s vision for a global hydrogen society,” executive vice president and head of Global Commercial Vehicle & Hydrogen Business at Hyundai Motor Company, Ken Ramirez said. “The project demonstrates how the transport energy transition is achievable today and will serve as one of the building blocks for Hyundai’s port decarbonization initiatives worldwide.”

These are not the first XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks to hit U.S. roads. Last year, the carmaker supplied 30 examples to the freight transport business of Glovis America, G.E.T Freight Corp, and these vehicles have been hauling containers from the Port of Oakland and transportation vehicles from the Port of Richmond.

Hyundai believes hydrogen can serve as a clean energy solution for commercial vehicles across the country. The XCIENT Fuel Cell is the first mass-produced, heavy-duty truck powered solely by hydrogen and has also been deployed in Switzerland, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Korea, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.