Hyundai Motor Company said Friday it had supplied eight Xcient Fuel Cell hydrogen-powered trucks to Uruguay for deployment in the Kahiros project, a green logistics initiative aimed at decarbonizing the country’s timber transportation sector.
Set to begin full-scale operations in the second half of 2026, the project is a private-sector collaboration led by the Kahiros consortium.
Hyundai’s Xcient Fuel Cell truck is a 37.2-ton-class tractor model equipped with a 180-kilowatt hydrogen fuel system and a 350-kilowatt electric motor. The truck stores up to 68 kilograms of hydrogen in 10 tanks and can travel up to 720 kilometers on a single charge, enabling long-distance transport without tailpipe emissions.
Once operations begin, six of the eight trucks will be deployed for timber transport, with total annual driving distance expected to reach about 1 million kilometers. The remaining two trucks may be added later as transportation services expand.
Hyundai has also completed the construction of a 4.8-megawatt solar power plant for the project and is building a water electrolysis facility capable of producing 77 metric tons of hydrogen annually, along with a hydrogen refueling station.
A consortium of three Uruguayan companies backs the $40 million project. Spain’s largest bank, Banco Santander, is participating as the major investor with support from the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group and the UN Renewable Energy Innovation Fund.
Hyundai said the project will help demonstrate its leadership in eco-friendly mobility while expanding its presence in the Latin American market for zero-emission commercial vehicles.
jwjeon7625@heraldcorp.com
