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.
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.
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.
