FirstElement Fuel partners with Hyundai Motor on hydrogen refueling of class 8 fuel cell electric trucks, driving over 25K miles with zero emissions

Written by PR Newswire

Fills were conducted on FirstElement Fuel's first-of-a-kind high capacity mobile refueler and existing retail infrastructure to support Hyundai Motor's pilot program.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., March 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstElement Fuel, the world's leading provider of hydrogen fueling solutions, and Hyundai Motor Company, a leader in Class 8 Fuel Cell Electric Truck development, have partnered to fuel and test Hyundai Motor's XCIENT Fuel Cell Heavy Duty trucks in California. Through this partnership, FirstElement Fuel is leveraging its True Zero network of hydrogen refueling stations to fuel three XCIENT Fuel Cell prototypes at full 700 bar pressure. In addition, FirstElement Fuel is deploying its first-of-its-kind high capacity mobile refueler, which was developed in a collaboration between FirstElement Fuel, Taylor-Wharton, and Nikkiso. The mobile refueler, which is capable of high-capacity fueling at 125 kilograms per hour, is being used to support pilot programs for several other Heavy Duty FCEV OEMs as well.

"This program has helped FirstElement understand what we need to do to bring high-volume hydrogen refueling infrastructure for heavy duty fuel cell trucks, and now we are prepared" said Joel Ewanick, Chairman & CEO of FirstElement Fuel. "Our partnership with Hyundai has also given us total confidence that fuel cell technology will eventually meet all the needs of the transport and logistics sector with zero emissions."

FirstElement Fuel's Class A licensed drivers are piloting three Hyundai Motor's XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks on routes throughout California, covering over 25,000 miles with zero emissions. FirstElement has performed over 120 hydrogen fills for the XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks as part of this program. FirstElement is unique in offering the largest network of hydrogen stations in the world that are supplied by Liquid Hydrogen instead of gaseous. Liquid hydrogen distribution and storage is far more efficient, enabling the large quantities of hydrogen required to efficiently fuel Class 8 Fuel Cell Electric trucks.

Later this year, FirstElement Fuel and Hyundai Motor will launch the world's largest commercial deployment of Class 8 hydrogen-powered fuel cell trucks in Oakland, California The project, titled NorCAL ZERO was jointly funded by the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and is being managed by the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE). The hydrogen refueling partnership between FirstElement Fuel and Hyundai Motor is providing valuable data and learnings which are helping inform design considerations for the NorCal ZERO project. FirstElement Fuel considers the fueling partnership with Hyundai Motor a very successful step towards the overall goal to advance hydrogen as a replacement for fossil fuels.

About FirstElement Fuel Inc.FirstElement Fuel Inc is a California-based company established in 2013 to provide safe, reliable, retail hydrogen to customers of fuel cell electric vehicles. The company is the developer, owner and operator of the True Zero brand of retail hydrogen stations, which currently represents the largest retail hydrogen station network in the world.

About Hyundai Motor CompanyEstablished in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is present in over 200 countries with more than 120,000 employees dedicated to tackling real-world mobility challenges around the globe. Based on the brand vision 'Progress for Humanity,' Hyundai Motor is accelerating its transformation into a Smart Mobility Solution Provider. The company invests in advanced technologies such as robotics and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) to bring about revolutionary mobility solutions, while pursuing open innovation to introduce future mobility services. In pursuit of sustainable future for the world, Hyundai will continue its efforts to introduce zero emission vehicles equipped with industry-leading hydrogen fuel cell and EV technologies.

More information about Hyundai Motor and its products can be found at:http://worldwide.hyundai.com or http://globalpr.hyundai.com https://trucknbus.hyundai.com/hydrogen/en ^[1]^[2]^[3]