Hyundai Motor Group expands its hydrogen commitment by opening a new fuel cell plant in China. It must be operational in 2022.
At Hyundai, they believe in a significant role for hydrogen in the mobility of the future. At the end of 2019, this was reflected in a concrete goal. Hyundai Motor Group then stated that it wants to build 700,000 cars with a fuel cell per year by the end of this decade. In the coming years, the own production of fuel cells must gradually increase considerably to reach that number. A new fuel cell factory in China will contribute to this, the first in this field outside its home country South Korea.
The factory will be located in Guangzhou, a metropolis just above Hong Kong. The Guangdong province is co-investing. Construction will start in February and the production facility should be operational in the second half of 2022. Initially, it starts with an annual production of 6,500 fuel cells, but that has to increase significantly every year. That is also allowed, if you look at Hyundai’s goal. The other plant, in Chungju, South Korea, opened last year and is starting with an annual production capacity of roughly 12,000 fuel cells.
Hyundai is currently supplying the Nexo in Europe (photo) and has started to supply trucks with a fuel cell. The options for supplying fuel cells for the Ineos Grenadier are also being examined. The knife cuts both ways: it is interesting for Ineos to also supply the Grenadier with a fuel cell, and Ineos in turn produces 300,000 tons of hydrogen per year. With a large in-house fuel cell production and a potentially substantial supply deal with Ineos, it looks bright for Hyundai’s hydrogen future.