South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group has teamed up with its German rival Audi AG for partnership in fuel cell vehicle technology.

Hyundai Motor Group said on Wednesday that Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller sibling Kia Motors Corp. signed partnership agreement with Audi to share technologies and research in hydrogen-fueled vehicles.

The partnership will allow the carmakers to share their patented technologies in fuel cell for applications on all of the car brands under the two.

Fuel cell are battery alternative to power electric vehicles. It can produce electricity as long as hydrogen - which can be obtained from natural gas, methanol, and even gasoline - is supplied and does not require charging.

Hyundai Mobis Co., the country’s largest auto parts supplier under Hyundai Motor Group, built a manufacturing facility for fuel cells with annual capacity to power 3,000 vehicles in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province last year.

Hyundai Motor has also managed to commercialize world’s first hydrogen-fueled vehicle Tucson ix35 in 2013 but has not yet been able to expand sales due to high price and lack of infrastructure. Hyundai Motor began mass production of its second-generation fuel cell vehicle Nexo with driving range doubled from Tucson version earlier this year.

Audi is responsible for research and development of hydrogen-fueled vehicles within Volkswagen Group.

By Kim Jung-hwan and Lee Eun-joo

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