from FCEV to Hydrogen Society

HMG was the first company in the world to mass produce a FCEV, using its outstanding technologies and is continuing to expand its Fuel Cell stack production capacity. Moreover, HMG has firmly committed to business expansion, anticipating that Fuel Cell systems will be needed in an ever increasing range of sectors.

FCEV Vision 2030 - A roadmap for the advent of a Hydrogen Society

Groundbreaking ceremony for the company's second fuel cell plant at the Hyundai Mobis factory complex in Chungju

HMG is leading the advent of a Hydrogen Economy. HMG has long been developing core technologies and recently released a number of new products, strengthening its technological leadership. HMG recently announced FCEV Vision 2030 which includes an annual production goal of 500,000 FCEVs by 2030 to ensure HMG’s market leadership. HMG expects the group and its suppliers to invest approximately 7.6 trillion KRW in R&D and facility expansion, which is expected to create approximately 51,000 jobs by 2030. As a first step, HMG will invest 300 billion KRW for the next two years and employ 1,300 additional workers in order to increase annual Fuel Cell system output to 11,000 units by 2022, up from the current 3,000 units.

HMG FCEV production and investment plan

By 2030, demand for global FCEVs is expected to increase to around 2 million units a year and many global automakers have begun investing in FCEV development. Therefore, it is now more important than ever to secure market leadership in the FCEV market.

In a Hydrogen Society, FCEVs have special significance beyond being merely a means of transport. Due to their unique set of requirements such as stable performance, robust durability, and high power output, FCEVs serve as an indicator of a company’s technological capacity. The success of FCEVs are also important since it can promote the growth of related industries such as energy, steel, chemicals, and new materials.

HMG expects that demand for hydrogen Fuel Cell systems will increase in the transport and power sectors due to strengthening environmental regulations. The group has also established plans to expand their Fuel Cell business into other industries. In the long-term, HMG plans to increase the supply of Fuel Cells for power generation and home application, anticipating hydrogen production using solar and wind energy. According to a study by McKinsey & Company, up to 6.5 million Fuel Cell system units will be in demand by 2030 globally, marking five-fold market growth compared to 2017. HMG plans to supply 200,000 Fuel Cell systems by 2030, while at the same time increasing the supply of renewable energy. HMG set up a hydrogen production facility in 2016 at Hyundai Steel’s Dangjin Integrated Steel Mills, that uses byproduct gas at and a new Fuel Cell system production plant at Hyundai Mobis’ Chungju Plant, with a target annual production capacity of 40,000 by 2022, demonstrating its capacity to be a leader in the new Hydrogen Economy.

Hydrogen production using byproduct gas by Hyundai Steel

Hyundai Steel’s hydrogen production plant

Hyundai Steel has been operating a hydrogen production plant with a 3,000-ton annual production capacity using byproduct gas at the Dangjin Integrated Steel Mills. Designed to achieve 99.999% hydrogen purity, it began operating in February 2016 and currently produces about 8,200kg of hydrogen per day. Since it takes 6.33kg of hydrogen to fully charge a NEXO, the plant is capable of fully charging about 1,300 FCEVs per day and 473,000 FCEVs per a year.

Hyundai Steel is expanding its hydrogen Fuel Cell metal separator facility, which is the core material of the Fuel Cell stack, the heart of FCEVs. The company plans to gradually increase production capacity enough for production of 16,000 FCEVs by 2020.

The backbone of hydrogen Fuel Cell system production - Hyundai Mobis

Hyundai Mobis Fuel Cell system development process

In 2018, Hyundai Mobis expanded its hydrogen Fuel Cell system production plant capacity to 3,000 units annually, at its Chungju Plant which specializes in the production of core components for clean vehicles. The plant is responsible for production of a number of key components including the Powertrain Fuel Cell module (PFC), which consists of a Fuel Cell stack, hydrogen and air supply devices, a thermal management device, and battery system. The company plans to build a second hydrogen Fuel Cell system plant to increase its production capacity to 40,000 by 2022 and to 700,000 by 2030. Leveraging on its worldleading technological capacity, Hyundai Mobis is implementing plans to supply Fuel Cells for power generation and residential use.