Last year we learned about one of the developments that had emerged from Hyundai’s work with hydrogen fuel cells. Some solutions are designed for cars, but which also have other applications such as operating outside of vehicles as portable electric generators. An alternative to diesel systems that have now gone from paper to reality with this technology’s shipment to the first customers in Europe.
A Swiss hydrogen solutions company, GRZ Technologies, will be the first non-automotive customer to receive the first units. This step reinforces Hyundai’s leadership in the development and mass production of fuel cell systems for both vehicles and other sectors.
This ingenuity is the result of Hyundai’s decades of experience in the industry. A company that introduced its first fuel cell electric vehicle in 2000, the Santa Fe FCEV, followed by the world’s first mass-produced FCEV, the ix35 in 2013, and the second-generation fuel-cell SUV, the NEXO, in 2018.
The result is a solution without polluting emissions in the prototype presented last year capable of offering maximum power of 95 kW, which can also be scaled up by placing more units in series for higher output requirements. Also, GRZ has developed a hydrogen storage system using hybrid metal compressors and hybrid absorption analysis systems. A solution that allows you to store more hydrogen, five to ten times more than current storage tanks, is close to the ambient pressure (below 10 bars). Something that will significantly reduce the cost of storing hydrogen itself.
The idea is to offer these portable electric generators to power companies and other companies that need to compensate for their electricity consumption peaks at certain times. It can even serve as a solution for emergencies or specific events in which diesel generator pollutants are routinely pulled.
According to Saehoon Kim, Senior Vice President and Head of Hyundai’s Fuel Cell Center: “Fuel cell systems offer diverse applications, as well as scalability that goes well beyond zero-emission vehicles. By leveraging our network, our partners in mobility, infrastructure, and energy can further develop their potential for a comprehensive hydrogen ecosystem.”