Hyundai Motor announces it will become a shareholder in H2 MOBILITY, a project to build and coordinate the nationwide hydrogen infrastructure in Germany. Hyundai Motor Company will be represented at the shareholders' meeting by Hyundai Motor Deutschland GmbH. The antitrust authorities have already given the go-ahead for the involvement, and registration will be formalised shortly. Hyundai is thus the seventh shareholder alongside founding members TotalEnergies, Shell, OMV, Linde, Air Liquide and Daimler.
Hyundai has already served as an associated partner of H2 MOBILITY since 2017 and has actively participated in the development of a hydrogen infrastructure in Germany since then. With the signing of the shareholder agreement, the South Korean company once again underscores its commitment to hydrogen fuel cell technology. The establishment of a functioning and comprehensive network of hydrogen filling stations is fundamental to further successfully establish Hyundai fuel cell electric vehicles on the market. For Hyundai, both hydrogen and the German market play a crucial role. The hydrogen infrastructure in Germany is one of the most developed in Europe. H2 MOBILITY supports hydrogen mobility and promotes the expansion of a clean mobility future in Germany with the highest level of priority.
“We are thrilled to welcome our new shareholder,” says Nikolas Iwan, Managing Director of H2 MOBILITY. “By joining, Hyundai is highlighting the increasing importance of hydrogen, as a guarantor of sustainable, unrestricted mobility and a complementary solution to the battery.”
“By actively supporting the development of a hydrogen infrastructure, Hyundai is once again demonstrating its strong commitment to fuel cell technology,” emphasises Michael Cole, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Europe. “By combining our experience in hydrogen fuel cell technology and H2 MOBILITY’s long-standing experience in hydrogen infrastructure development, this partnership opens up new opportunities for us to create a clean hydrogen ecosystem.”
Kurt-Christoph von Knobelsdorff, Managing Director of NOW GmbH: “Hyundai’s entry into H2 MOBILITY is a very powerful signal. One of the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers is making it unmistakably clear that it also sees a future for electric vehicles powered by hydrogen and fuel cells in road transport. Not only for commercial vehicles, but also for passenger cars.
Partnership with H2 MOBILITY
The decision of joining forces, after years of strong partnership, is based on H2 MOBILITY’s extensive experience in building up hydrogen infrastructure. H2 MOBILITY has been developing and operating the hydrogen filling station network in Germany since 2015. As the world’s largest operator, the company is currently responsible for 91 hydrogen filling stations, most of them in Germany in the metropolitan areas of Hamburg, Berlin, Rhine-Ruhr, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Stuttgart and Munich, as well as on the surrounding motorways. Another two filling stations are in the planning phase while ten more are in the approval phase. Three are about to go into operation.
At all H2 MOBILITY filling stations, fuel cell electric vehicles – including both passenger cars and light commercial vehicles – can be refuelled at 700 bar. At a growing number of stations, medium-heavy commercial vehicles can also be filled at 350 bar. In order to cater for the increasing number of larger commercial vehicles such as buses, waste collection vehicles, road sweepers and trucks with fuel cell drive systems, future stations will allow hydrogen refuelling not only at 700 but also at 350 bar from the outset.
Building a hydrogen society
Hyundai has a long history of working with companies in the hydrogen, energy and logistics sectors around the world to expand its hydrogen fuel cell systems business and help push the transition to a hydrogen society forward. Joining H2 MOBILITY as a shareholder creates additional, new opportunities to develop a hydrogen ecosystem that meets the needs of an environmentally conscious society that also extends beyond just mobility.
Hyundai is a global leader in the development, mass production and export of hydrogen fuel cell systems, including fuel cell electric vehicles. With the XCIENT Fuel Cell, Hyundai has already been operating the world’s first mass-produced, hydrogen-powered heavy-duty truck in Switzerland since 2020. Hyundai plans to deliver 1,600 units of the fuel cell truck to Europe by 2025. In Munich, the Hyundai Motor Company has already been using the hydrogen-powered ELEC CITY Fuel Cell Bus in daily operation in test operations for several weeks in cooperation with two bus companies. The test operation is designed to demonstrate that hydrogen-powered buses are a viable and efficient solution for commercial passenger transport.
Now, in order to further advance the transition towards becoming a provider of smart mobility solutions, the company is not only focusing on the construction of zero-emission vehicles, but also on the corresponding infrastructure required for this purpose. By joining H2 MOBILITY, Hyundai is taking a more active role in hydrogen. Hyundai is able to build on its decades of experience with fuel cell technology. The goal is not only to achieve cleaner mobility, but also for a cleaner future.
H2 MOBILITY in Germany
H2 MOBILITY Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG focuses on the nationwide development of a hydrogen infrastructure in Germany. The goal is to initially operate 100 stations in seven German metropolitan regions (Hamburg, Berlin, Rhine-Ruhr, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Stuttgart and Munich) as well as along major motorways and important trunk roads. H2 MOBILITY will take on all the necessary tasks, from planning and construction to operation and marketing, which are required for the successful expansion and operation of a hydrogen filling station network.
The founding shareholders of H2 MOBILITY are Air Liquide, Daimler, Linde, OMV, Shell and TotalEnergies. Hyundai has now joined as the seventh company. BMW, Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen as well as NOW GmbH, the National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology, advise and support H2 MOBILITY as associated partners.
Further information on the subject can be found at: www.h2.live or www.hyundai-presselounge.de
About H2 Mobility
H2 MOBILITY Deutschland GmbH & Co.KG, is responsible for the nationwide development of a hydrogen infrastructure in Germany. H2 MOBILITY receives funding under the National Innovation Programme Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP) from the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI – Bundesministerium für Verkehr und Digitale Infrastruktur) and from the European Commission in the Hydrogen Mobility Europe project, which receives funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (FCH 2 JU, grant agreement no. 671438). The FCH JU is supported by the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (Horizon 2020), Hydrogen Europe and the Hydrogen Europe Research Association.