The group, which comprises Hyundai and Kia, currently has
one fuel cell bus and one fuel cell truck, the Xcient Hyundai, on the market.
There are 115 of the buses on the road in South Korea and 45 of the trucks in
operation after they were rolled out in Switzerland last year.
The two South Korean automakers together offer 20 models of
commercial vehicles including trucks, buses and vans, and sold about 287,000
last year.
The group, whose only other fuel cell vehicle on the market
is Hyundai's Nexo SUV, also said it will develop fuel cell vehicles for Kia and
its premium Genesis brand, which could be launched after 2025. It did not
mention specific targets for fuel cell versions of passenger vehicle models.
The plans are measured ambitions to push ahead with hydrogen
technology despite its relative niche status, while the automakers also expand
their battery electric vehicle line-up.
Advocates assert that hydrogen fuel cells are cleaner than
other carbon-cutting methods as they only emit water and heat, but the
technology has only seen limited usage in the auto industry amid concerns about
high costs, the bulky size of fuel cell systems, the lack of fuelling stations,
resale values, and the risk of hydrogen explosions.
Industry-wide, some 10,000-15,000 fuel cell vehicles are
produced globally a year compared to 4-5 million electric vehicles, Hyundai
said.
Other major automakers pursuing hydrogen fuel cell
technology include Toyota, BMW, and Daimler. They have been encouraged as
Europe and China have set ambitious emission reduction targets and talk of
hydrogen infrastructure support increases.
Hyundai also said it also plans to employ hydrogen fuel cell
technology in other areas such as autonomous container transport.
© Reuters
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