Hyundai is going all in on hydrogen, and relying on food waste to make that happen
Kia-owner Hyundai certainly isn’t in a big rush to go carbon neutral. It has set its target as the far-away date of 2050. But now it says it will rely heavily on hydrogen fuel cells generated from plastic, food, and organic waste to power a whole new generation of EVs, from passenger cars to heavy-duty trucks. Problem is, there is nowhere to charge them.
The South Korean automaker is among a small group of companies embracing hydrogen fuel cell technology, with GM, Toyota, and Honda among them. At CES in Las Vegas, the company announced that hydrogen fuel will now play a “crucial role in Hyundai’s sustainability roadmap as it is a clean energy source.”
“Clean hydrogen should be for everyone, powering everything, and available everywhere,” Jay Chang, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, said in a statement. It plans to use hydrogen in any number of vehicles, from passenger cars to buses and trucks, as well as trams, boats, power generators, advanced air mobility, and special equipment.
Hyundai has already been mass-producing hydrogen fuel cell EVs for a while with its Nexo line. Currently the 2024 Hyundai Nexo compact crossover and the Toyota Mirai sedan are the only two hydrogen fuel cell (FCEV) EVs available to buy in the US, and that’s only in California.
Rather than plugging in the vehicle as you would for a battery-electric car, hydrogen fuel cells rely on compressed hydrogen. To recharge, you can top off your vehicle via a fuel cell stack in about five minutes. For the Nexo, a recharge can take you 380 miles, with its only emissions being water vapor.
Problem is, there is almost no hydrogen infrastructure and very few hydrogen recharging stations, and only a smattering in North America. China has the largest network of recharging stations in the world, but in California, you’ll find around 63 recharging stations, mostly around Los Angeles and San Francisco. In the East Coast, there are maybe a handful of stations. Storing hydrogen is a challenge too in that it requires high pressures, low temperatures, or other chemical process to keep it compact.
Hyundai has also announced that it is developing “megawatt-scale polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzer manufacturing capabilities for green hydrogen production, which is expected to commercialize within the next few years.” The company plans to make this transition via its hydrogen fuel cell system brand, HTWO, launched in 2020.
To produce hydrogen, the company will focus on Waste-to-Hydrogen methods, which involves fermenting organic waste, such as food and livestock manure, to produce biogas. The biogas is then treated to capture CO2 and produce hydrogen. Another method, Plastic-to-Hydrogen, will use waste plastic that is recyclable – first it is melted, the turned into gas, then transformed into hydrogen after stripping away unessential elements.
Hyundai also announced some new technologies at CES, including its “Software-defined Everything,” which “aims to transform all moving devices, fleets and ecosystems into valuable assets through advanced software and AI.” Hyundai, like a lot of other automakers, is developing software-defined vehicles, à la Tesla, which can then be updated via over-the-air updates. The company said it is shifting “everything into a software-defined approach, from vehicle development to building the entire mobility ecosystem.” What this means seems to be that Hyundai drivers can expect to see some new infotainment upgrades, a new app library, and the development of SDKs for developers to create some “killer apps.” AI, of course, will be a part of the package, with its in-car voice assistance updated to enable more seamless communication between the vehicle and the driver. Hyundai’s $100 million stake in AI chip manufacturer Tenstorrent should help make that happen.
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Environment
Podcast: China reaches EV tipping point, Tesla retreats, some slack with tax credit, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss China reaching the EV tipping point, Tesla’s retreat in Europe, EV buyers receiving some tax credit relief, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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Cadillac is back and selling a surprising number of electric vehicles in the US. With a full lineup of electric SUVs, Cadillac now claims to be the leading luxury EV brand in the US. Can it keep it up even after the $7,500 federal tax credit expires?
After launching seven new electric vehicles this year, GM claimed that Cadillac became the leading luxury EV brand by market share. However, that doesn’t include Tesla due to its “pricing structure.”
Cadillac is coming off its best first-half sales since 2008, selling more vehicles across all 50 states. Nearly one in four Cadillacs sold in the US this year were EVs.
GM’s luxury brand is now selling more electric vehicles than some of its biggest rivals, including Porsche, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, and Volvo.
According to the latest data from Cox Automotive, Cadillac sold over 11,700 EVs in Q2, up 62% compared to last year. Through the first six months of the year, it has sold nearly 20,000 electric vehicles. In comparison, Porsche has sold almost 7,200 EVs in the US, Mercedes sold about 8,000, and Audi has sold just over 11,500.
With an electric SUV in nearly every segment, including the entry-level Optiq, a midsize Lyriq, a three-row Vistiq, and the even larger Escalade IQ and IQL models, Cadillac is seeing an influx of buyers from other brands.
Cadillac prepares for the EV tax credit to expire
Around 70% of Cadillac’s EV buyers are from other brands, according to GM, and about 10% are former Tesla drivers. With big policy changes coming under the Trump administration, Cadillac, like the entire industry, will likely face some hurdles.
The administration already raised tariffs on imported vehicles and other auto parts, and at the end of September, the $7,500 federal EV tax credit is set to expire.
In response to the changes, many automakers are shifting back to hybrid and gas-powered vehicles. Cadillac is no exception.
“They’ll have to have both for a number of years now,” according to Sam Fiorani, the vice president of AutoForecast Solutions. Fiorani explained (via The New York Times) that “The gas-powered vehicles make the money, and the EVs bring them a new market.”
Cadillac was initially expected to have an all-EV lineup by the end of the decade. Thanks to the policy changes, Cadillac could continue offering hybrid and ICE vehicles for several more years.
Fiorani said that although GM planned to retire the gas-powered Escalade, it’s now due for a refresh that will be sold “well into the next decade.”
Earlier this year, Cadillac’s global vice president, John Roth, said during a media briefing that the company was in a better position than most with the policy changes.
All Cadillac vehicles are built in the US, except the Optiq, which is built in Mexico. According to Roth, the policy changes will have “very limited impact, if you will, on the Cadillac brand.” If anything, Roth said, it could be an opportunity for the luxury automaker.
If you’re looking to get ahead of the $7,500 EV tax credit expiration, we can help you get started. Check out our links below to find Cadillac’s electric SUVs in your area.
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Australia Post is advancing its commitment to achieve Net Zero emissions across its operations by 2050 with the introduction of 36 new Mercedes-Benz eVito electric vans, expanding its existing fleet of over 5,000 EVs already in active service.
With an efficient 60 kWh battery and 85 kW (about 115 hp) electric motor, Mercedes’ eVito electric van is ideally suited to the sort of stop-and-go work of a delivery vehicle. What’s more the company’s factory upfit program, Merceds-Benz Vans Courier Solutions, makes it easier than ever for delivery and contractor fleets to spec out their vans exactly the way they need them.
And, even though the eVito’s 60 kWh battery is rated to “just” 261 km (162 miles), the sort of low-speed, high-regen duty cycle Australia Post is going to be putting it through should mean drivers see much better real world range than that — which is precisely the sort of information this 36 van pilot is meant to uncover.
“This is our largest electric van trial to date,” explains Australia Post Chief Sustainability Officer, Richard Pittard. “It’s a meaningful step forward as we continue building a modern, sustainable delivery network that meets the evolving needs of our customers while reducing our environmental impact.”
Australia Post currently operates more than 3,600 three-wheeled electric delivery vehicles (EDVs), 1,500 e-bikes, nearly 200 UBCO DUTY electric motorcycles, and several Mitsubishi eFUSO electric box vans at its larger logistics centers.
The new eVito vans, once deployed at scale, will operate primarily in highly populated metro areas, where their positive impact on local air quality will be felt by the greatest number of people, and their respiratory health, as well.
Electrek’s Take
This kind of deployment should be exciting to EV enthusiasts for a number of tried-and-true reasons, but this one is particularly exciting to Americans because we have an Administration actively pretending that electric postal vehicles aren’t ready for prime time. The success of programs like this one from Australia Post are just more egg in the face of these anti-EV clowns, and few things make me happier.
You can check out the official Mercedes-Benz Vans Australia eVito specs and measurements in the detailed brochure, below, then scroll on down to the comments and let us know what you think of MB’s baby Sprinter.
Mercedes eVito Specs
SOURCE | IMAGES: Australia Post.
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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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