It’s an all-pervasive fact that gasoline cars are skidding in the market, pulling over the side to allay their long and glorious run and giving way to mobility solutions that use alternative sources of energy and prevent further depletion of resources. In the nascent times, electric and hybrid cars have been accepted with open arms in a few markets. However, a relatively new technology which every manufacturer is exploring but was heavily lampooned in the primitive phase of its development was Hydrogen infrastructure which has the capacity to infiltrate into cars.
It was only until a few years back when Toyota contrived its most technologically advanced fabrication, Mirai in full pomp and show that Research and Development wings of other brands became sleuths and started investigating into the scene after a ginormous amount of money was floated into it.
Hyundai rendezvoused in a digital global conference on Hydrogen tagged the ‘Hydrogen Wave’ conference where it presented its take on how the potential of Hydrogen powered mobility can be tapped and by 2040, its cars could be powered by the element.
Commercial vehicle market is expanding in parallel direction to passenger car market. Witnessing that the number of LCVs and HCVs has been at an all-time high, the Korean marque has unravelled ambitious and firm plans to electrify its commercial vehicles by 2028.
At the event, hydrogen strategy for fuel-cell systems and solutions were brought to light. This will make the company more sustainable in its way of working. To provide a better grounding to this event, another event called ‘HydroVILLE’ will be physically conducted where real-life contraptions and concepts will be shown. Hydrogen-backed technologies will also be used to curate additional mobility solutions.
Its sustainability will pave the way for future reaping good benefits when hydrogen energy would make a mark by occupying 18-percent of global energy demand by 2050 capturing a market size of USD 2.5 trillion as prognosts the Hydrogen Council. Its most momentous merit will be stymieing the growth of CO2 emissions by more than 6-billion tons a year and contemporaneously generate 30-million new jobs. The Group aims to make hydrogen available to ‘Everyone, Everything and Everywhere.’
To target and foil the adverse impacts of climate change, the Group’s key focus will be on developing radical commercial vehicle applications as these are the denizens of road for a longer duration and because of their sheer girth, emit carbon in greater quantum.
Such high is the allegiance associated in believing in Hydrogen mobility, that Hyundai has already revealed its fuel-cell iteration warping a truck and is calling it the XCIENT. However, the most innovative contraption is arguably the ‘Trailer Drone’ concept, a path-breaking container delivery transportation system that can lunge autonomously. Such development will see profits in markets like Europe where almost 400,000 units of trucks are produced annually. A trickle-down effect into high-performance vehicles, urban air mobility, robots, air crafts and large ships is going to be the future plan for this Group. Hydrogen will also be used towards providing heating to buildings, urban energy sources and power plants. This new system is anticipated to reduce costs across sectors.
Using space optimisation as its strength, a 100kW and a 200 kW power versions of the third-generation fuel-cell stack are in works. The Group says that the 100 kW guise has been reduced in size by a solid 30-percent making it perfectly fit other applications. The new fuel-cells devised can clock in 5,000 hours and 160,000 Km which is equivalent to the warranty of an ICE vehicle. A strategy to increase power outputs is being worked upon through a Group’s concept called ‘Power Unit Module’ which can offer a gamut between 500kW to 1 MW by piling up 100 kW modular units which actually has the potential to power large ships and IT softwares. While this is already a creative idea, the Group is being proactive and considering reducing the size to just 25 cm so that it can be fitted into smaller machines such as MPVs, buses and trams.
All in all, production, storage and transportation is anticipated to become easier with such revolutionary advancements.
Some of the concepts worth mentioning in addition to the ones described above are:
Fuel Cell e-Bogie:
This is a fully closed space which gets fuel-cell propulsion which allows for more efficient manoeuvrability.
Vision FK
It is the brand’s take on the high performance mobility like a hydrogen-propelled hybrid sports car which can go from nought to 100 Km/h in under 4 seconds and extend a helping hand till 600 km.
Rescue Drone:
The Rescue Drone is one which can be operated without supervision and autonomously for fire-fighting and life-saving. It combines with a Fuel Cell e-Bogie and secures 500 Km once it is fully powered. It uses images to track locations and veers the bogie accordingly.
“The degree and frequency of environmental disasters is rising fast and we now face a code red warning for humanity,” added Chairman Chung during the global online forum. “The Group seeks to offer powerful and pragmatic solutions for combatting climate change via the tremendous potential of hydrogen energy.”
Based on the brand’s future ideas and commitment in creating sustainable mobility, it would be safe to assume that world is just going to get more cleaner, future-oriented and better but above all, more exciting!
