Fuel Cell Activity Around the World

Globally, new hydrogen fuel cell and electrolyzer activity has ticked up from one year ago. Recent developments mark the advancement of automotive fuel cell deployments and acceptance of specific applications.

Information Trends will publish an update to ‘Global Market for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles, 2018′, a report detailing OEM activity within H2 vehicle development and sales, citing that 6,475 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have been sold globally by the end of 2017, according to GasWorld.com. Also mentioned in the article were OEMs who have launched fuel cell vehicles or will launch, “By 2021, at least 11 automakers will have rolled out H2 fuel cell vehicles, including Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai, Kia, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Other entrants in this space include Tata Motors, Pininfarina S.p.A. (owned by Mahindra & Mahindra) Riversimple and the RONN Motor Group.”

One of those manufacturers, Hyundai, announced the completion of a 190km (118 mile) level 4 autonomous driving test from Seoul to Pyeongchang, the first this has been achieved with a fuel-cell electric car. Previously, autonomous driving was only demonstrated at a limited speed on particular sections of domestic roads. Hyundai has surpassed this with their long-distance drive at 100-110km/h, the maximum speed allowed by law on Korean highways, with five vehicles that completed the test journey, three of which were based on Hyundai’s next-generation fuel-cell electric SUV NEXO and two were Genesis G80 autonomous vehicles. More information about the announcement was reported by Intelligent Transport, here.

Several articles appeared about test-drives of Kenworth’s Zero Emissions Cargo Transit (ZECT) T680 tractor, the result of a project between Kenworth, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Southern California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District. The hybrid truck system has been undergoing testing in the Seattle-area since December and will head off to Total Transportation Services and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in about six weeks. The Kenworth vehicle is the fifth electric semi-truck announced in as many months, joining Toyota, Tesla, Nikola, ET-1 and others.

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