XCIENT Fuel Cell – Hyundai Motor and Plus collaboration aims to enhance road safety and freight efficiencies by demonstrating benefits of XCIENT Fuel Cell truck equipped with Plus’s Level 4 autonomous driving software
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor) and autonomous driving software leader Plus today unveiled the first Level 4 autonomous Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell electric truck in the U.S. at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, the largest advanced clean transportation technology and fleet event in North America.
A result of the collaboration between Hyundai Motor and Plus, Hyundai Motor’s XCIENT Fuel Cell truck, equipped with Plus SuperDrive™ Level 4 autonomous driving technology, is on display at the Plus ACT Expo booth (#2044).
The Level 4 autonomous XCIENT Fuel Cell truck is undergoing initial autonomous driving assessments in the U.S., making it the first-ever Level 4 self-driving test on a Class 8 fuel cell electric truck to take place in the country. The collaboration seeks to show that autonomous hydrogen fuel cell trucks can help make trucking safer, more efficient, and more sustainable.
“We are excited to showcase our collaboration with Plus to test Level 4 autonomous driving technology with our Class 8 XCIENT Fuel Cell truck,” said Martin Zeilinger, Executive Vice President and Head of Commercial Vehicle Development at Hyundai.
“Hyundai Motor has been driving the energy transition paradigm with our advanced fuel cell technologies. By adding autonomous capabilities to our world’s first mass-produced hydrogen-powered XCIENT Fuel Cell truck, Hyundai is looking forward to providing fleets and vehicle operators additional solutions that enhance road safety and freight efficiencies thanks to Plus’s industry-leading autonomous driving technology.”First introduced in 2020, Hyundai Motor’s truck has conducted commercial operations in eight countries worldwide, establishing a successful track record of real-world applications and technological reliability.
Hyundai introduced XCIENT Fuel Cell tractor
At last year’s ACT Expo, Hyundai introduced XCIENT Fuel Cell tractor, the commercialised Class 8 6×4 fuel cell electric model, powered by two 90kW hydrogen fuel cell systems and a 350kW e-motor, providing a driving range of over 450 miles (724 km) per charge even when fully loaded.
Plus’s SuperDrive™ solution is being deployed across the U.S., Europe, and Australia. The system uses a combination of cutting-edge sensors, including LiDAR, radar and cameras, to provide surround perception, planning, prediction and self-driving capabilities.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Hyundai Motor Company on this important initiative to create more sustainable and safe transportation options. A decarbonised future with autonomous hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks that also improve safety and efficiency is one that Plus is proud to support with our cutting-edge autonomous driving technology,” said Shawn Kerrigan, COO and Co-Founder at Plus.
Hyundai Motor and Plus have released a video highlighting their collaboration, which can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d19h_v7abo.