Hyundai Motor Company and Cummins are collaborating to supply hydrogen fuel cell powertrains to the North American commercial vehicle market.
The South Korean automotive giant yesterday said it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the American engine maker to jointly develop and commercialise electric and fuel cell powertrains combining Hyundai fuel cell systems and Cummins’ electric powertrain, battery and control technologies.
The initial development will be focused on the North American commercial vehicle market, including working with North American OEMs on the integration of these systems into their vehicles.
“This partnership is a terrific opportunity for both companies to leverage our respective strengths and create new opportunities to grow and broaden the product portfolio we bring to our customers,” said Thad Ewald, Vice-President of Corporate Strategy at Cummins.
“We’ve made significant investments over the past year to accelerate our fuel cell capabilities including our acquisition of Hydrogenics and this partnership is another step forward.”
Saehoon Kim, Vice-President and Head of Fuel Cell Group at Hyundai Motor Group, added, “With Hyundai’s global leadership in fuel cell systems coupled with Cummins’ unparalleled electrified powertrain technologies, we expect this partnership to leave a mark in the commercial vehicle market.”
“Collaborations such as this will enable us to further diversify our business, as well as reinforce our global hydrogen leadership through sales of new and existing Hyundai fuel cell systems.”
© Hyundai – Thad Ewald, Vice-President 0f Corporate Strategy at Cummins, and Saehoon Kim, Vice-President and Head of Fuel Cell Group at Hyundai Motor Group, sign a MOU.
Hyundai said the partnership provides a springboard for it to increase its presence in the North American commercial vehicle market.
A developing global fuel cell market
The MoU comes at a time of heightened demand for fuel cell technology. Hydrogen can be produced from renewable sources, stored economically, and deployed for a diverse range of industrial and residential energy-generation applications; as well as used in fuel cell passenger cars and commercial vehicles.
Energy experts predict hydrogen will become increasingly important in meeting fast-growing global energy demand, while also supporting efforts to drive down carbon emissions from energy generation.
