The move came as Hyundai seeks to boost its leadership in the development and mass production of fuel cell systems for vehicles and beyond.
The company introduced its first fuel cell electric vehicle in 2000, the Santa Fe FCEV, followed by the world’s first mass-produced FCEV, the ix35, in 2013, and the second-generation fuel cell SUV, the NEXO, in 2018.
Recently, the company successfully shipped the first 10 units of the XCIENT Fuel Cell, the world’s first mass-produced fuel cell heavy-duty truck, to Switzerland as well.
Hyundai Motor and GRZ Technologies have been pushing for cooperation in hydrogen storage technology since late last year.
GRZ has the technology to store about five to ten times more hydrogen than before, with a pressure lower than 30 bar, which is significantly lower than the storage pressure of a normal hydrogen storage tank, 200 to 500 bar. It is expected that this technology will be used in various ways through cooperation between the two companies in the future.
Using Hyundai’s fuel cell system, the company plans to produce a stationary power supply system to be used for producing electricity at peak times. The fuel cell system is based on the one used in the NEXO.
In addition, Hyundai began shipping the fuel cell system to an energy solutions startup that makes electric generators. The startup will use Hyundai’s system to produce mobile hydrogen generators.
Hyundai in July announced a plan to respond to the South Korean government’s Green New Deal policy with the export of hydrogen fuel cell systems, while steadily seeking to diversify its hydrogen business to secure leadership in the global market.
