Just when you thought it was safe to count out hydrogen as a viable competitor to battery-electric power in the North American medium– and heavy-duty trucking space, the new Hyundai XCIENT HFCEV Class 8 semi truck arrives in Georgia — and immediately gets to work.
Hyundai’s new XCIENT hydrogen semi trucks are set to be deployed at the new Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA), where the heavy-duty Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell trucks will be tasked with supporting plant-related logistics operations.
Operated as part of a joint venture with transport company/3PL Glovis America, Hyundai’s hydrogen semi fleet will consist of 21 XCIENT trucks, each packing electric motors that combine to deliver about 470 hp and 1650 lb-ft of torque at 0 rpm. Unlike the direct-drive/single-speed setup in Tesla cars and other inexpensive EVs, the Hyundai XCIENT puts all that power through an Allison 400 Series fully automatic six-speed transmission, enabling the electric …