South Korea’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor Co. leveraged its headway in hydrogen technology by exporting systems and solutions based on the renewable fuel cell storage to Europe.

The shipment would be the finished car maker’s first export in fuel solution instead of hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Hyundai Motor’s 95-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cell systems, currently used to power its Nexo crossover SUVs, will be delivered to Swiss hydrogen storage technology firm GRZ Technologies Ltd. and a European energy solutions startup that will develop mobile generators for emergency power supply, using Hyundai Motor’s hydrogen fuel-cell technology.

The system’s export is expected to expand substantially starting 2022 after the partnering European firms complete a year-long performance test for the system, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

GRZ Technologies has own metal hybrid technology for hydrogen storage and now is developing metal hybrid compressors and hybrid absorption analysis systems. Its solution enables to store more hydrogen, five- to ten-times larger than normal storage tanks, at near-ambient pressure (below 10 bars).

Hyundai Motor and GRZ Technologies have ramped up cooperation for hydrogen storage technology since October last year.

The latest export was made after the European Commission unveiled its hydrogen strategy in July to explore the feasibility of hydrogen as clean energy that could help reduce the EU economy’s carbon emissions and make the EU climate-neutral by 2050.

Hyundai Motor, who established the world’s first production line for hydrogen trucks and shipped 10 units of the truck to Switzerland, expects partnership with the two European companies will help it further cement its lead in the hydrogen business in Europe, the advanced market for green energy.

The Korean automaker now is in talks with around 20 buyers and aims to expand its sales network to the United States and China.

Hyundai Motor Group’s de facto head Chung Euisun emphasized its vision in pioneering the global hydrogen vehicle marker in July, saying “power generation using hydrogen will grow to a key industry for future as the hydrogen fuel cell system can be used for urban jets, ships, trains, military and buildings, in almost every sector for daily lives and even military uses.”

Last month, Hyundai Motor forged a hydrogen partnership with Australia’s national science agency Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and Fortescue Metals Group, a global leader in the iron ore industry.

The trade ministry also vowed to provide full support for enhanced quality, commercialization of hydrogen vehicles for export to nurture hydrogen fuel cells as a core growth engine on state-led green New Deal initiative.

By Pulse

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