BY 2025, HYUNDAI WILL MASS-PRODUCE HYDROGEN ENGINES

By Piero Facchin

After completing the design of its H2 internal combustion engines (ICE) and deploying the prototype, Hyundai Doosan Infracore (HDI) is accelerating the development of its hydrogen engines with the goal of mass-producing these engines by 2025.

The hydrogen internal combustion engine can produce 300 kW (402 hp) of power and 1700 Nm of torque at 2000 RPM. In accordance with Tier 5/Stage 5/Euro7 regulations, the engine meets the emission reduction requirements of 90% of the current level to achieve Zero CO2 (below 1 g/kWh) and Zero impact emissions.

A single 10-minute charge provides a range of up to 500 km, while H2 internal combustion engines are 25–30% more economical than batteries or fuel cells, when vehicle price and maintenance costs are taken into account.

The new hydrogen engines to be produced will be installed in commercial vehicles, including large buses, trucks and construction equipment. To both accelerate commercialization and reduce costs, HDI plans to leverage its existing engine technology and facilities. HDI will unveil its prototype hydrogen ICE powerplant this year, with plans for full-scale testing scheduled for 2024 and mass production expected the following year.

Beyond its hydrogen engines, Hyundai Doosan Infracore has been busy with a number of other products, a variety of which will be on display at ConExpo 2023 in March. These products include EV batteries, H2ICE and plug-in hybrid powertrains.