Competition Heating Up between Korean, Japanese Automakers in Hydrogen Cars
Competition Heating Up between Korean, Japanese Automakers in Hydrogen Cars
According to sources in the auto industry on June 3, automakers such as Hyundai and Toyota are laying the groundwork to take the lead in the future through different strategies for developing hydrogen vehicles.
Hyundai’s development focus is on a hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). A hydrogen fuel cell drives an electric motor through the chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen generated in a fuel cell stack. The use of hydrogen generates zero carbon emissions while driving and allows for quick charging which typically takes three to five minutes. However, it requires high-pressure and cryogenic storage, which makes fuel cells relatively expensive and inefficient.
Hyundai Motor is concentrating on improving the shortcomings of FCEVs such as making them more durable and efficient. In 2013, the Korean carmaker launched the world’s first mass-produced FCEVs, the Tucson FCEV, and secured its leadership in hydrogen vehicles. It recently acquired the hydrogen fuel cell business from Hyundai Mobis in order to promote it and earlier this year expanded its hydrogen fuel cell brand, HTWO, into a hydrogen value chain business brand. In the second quarter of 2025, it will launch a second-generation model of its flagship FCEV, the Nexo.
Toyota, on the other hand, is developing a hydrogen internal combustion engine in parallel with hydrogen fuel cells. A hydrogen internal combustion engine utilizes a conventional internal combustion engine by replacing only its fuel with hydrogen. In an internal combustion engine, hydrogen and oxygen are mixed and burned. Explosive force generated from it is used to drive the engine. It can utilize technology and infrastructure for current internal combustion engines, but a low energy conversion ratio compared to hydrogen fuel cells is a disadvantage. This year, Toyota introduced the Corolla GR running on liquefied hydrogen in a motorsport event, which is a testbed for technology development. The development of hydrogen fuel cells is also ongoing. Toyota has 22,000 FCEV-related patents.
Honda, along with GM, introduced the CR-V e-FCEV, a hybrid vehicle that combines an FCEV with a battery. The fuel cell uses hydrogen to generate electricity while the battery stores electricity to assist driving. The Japanese automaker explains that it compensates for a lack of hydrogen infrastructure with battery charging, while also securing longer mileage.
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