A Leader in Global Hydrogen Industry Development

Hyundai Motor senior vice chairman Chung Eui-sun (left) shakes hands with U.S. Under Secretary of Energy Mark Menezes in front of the Energy Department building in Washington, D.C. of the United States on Feb. 10 (local time).

Hyundai Motor announced on Feb. 11 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on technological innovation for hydrogen fuel cells with the U.S. Energy Department in Washington, D.C. of the United States on Feb. 10 (local time).

Hyundai Motor has secured the world's best hydrogen fuel cell technology, and the U.S. Department of Energy has run hydrogen and fuel cell R&D programs since the early 2000s. Their partnership is expected to accelerate the creation of a global hydrogen-based economy and society.

The MOU is intended to share empirical data obtained through the operation of hydrogen electric vehicles and hydrogen filling stations not only with government agencies but also with academia and companies and to diffuse the use of hydrogen energy to various industries and the general public.

To this end, Hyundai Motor will provide five units of its hydrogen electric car Nexo to the U.S. Department of Energy for demonstration purposes. It has decided to support the construction of hydrogen filling stations in the Washington, D.C. area.

Both sides plan to share empirical analysis data of hydrogen electric vehicles gained through the operation of the Nexos and hydrogen filling stations with government agencies, academia and industry. In addition, they will provide hydrogen and hydrogen fuel cell technology to experts in the hydrogen industry, and promote the use of hydrogen fuel cell technology in industries other than the automobile industry. An increase in the acceptance of hydrogen and hydrogen fuel cell technology is expected to have a significant impact on a wide range of industries from automobiles, railway, shipping and aircraft to power generation.

Meanwhile, the Korea Hydrogen Convergence Group (H2KOREA) inked an MOU with the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA) in the latter’s office in Washington D.C. on the same day. The gist of the MOU is to go ahead with a wide range of private-level cooperation projects for the development of the hydrogen industry and the early implementation of a hydrogen economy. The numbers of hydrogen electric vehicles in the U.S. and Korea were 7,937 (ranking first in the world) and 5,126 (second), respectively, last year, said Mark Lines, a global automotive market research firm.

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