Vice President Eunhee Hong of Hyundai Motor Group: "A Predictable Policy Environment Is Needed for the Hydrogen Industry"

Annual Production of 30,000 Tons of Clean Hydrogen
To Be Used for AI Data Centers, Robotics, and More

Hyundai Motor Group is taking steps to build a hydrogen ecosystem that goes beyond hydrogen mobility to encompass production, storage, and utilization. In particular, the company plans to establish a 200 MW-class water electrolysis plant in Saemangeum and is pursuing a business model that links this plant to artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, hydrogen cities, autonomous driving, and robotics.

On September 17, Eunhee Hong, Vice President and Head of Energy and Hydrogen Business Division at Hyundai Motor Group, introduced this hydrogen business strategy at the "2026 Korea-China Hydrogen Policy Forum" held at the Novotel Ambassador Seoul in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

Eunhee Hong, Vice President and Head of Energy and Hydrogen Business Division at Hyundai Motor Group, introduced the hydrogen business strategy at the "2026 Korea-China Hydrogen Policy Forum" held on the 17th at Novotel Ambassador Seoul in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Lee Seungjin

Vice President Hong explained, "Since Hyundai began research and development on hydrogen fuel cells in 1998, the company has expanded its hydrogen mobility business through models such as the Tucson ix35, NEXO, and XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks." She noted that the NEXO has sold over 48,000 units in more than 25 countries worldwide, while about 4,000 hydrogen trucks and buses, including the XCIENT Fuel Cell, have been supplied to 16 countries.

For the domestic market, she highlighted the city of Incheon as a leading example of hydrogen bus deployment. As of July this year, Hyundai has supplied more than 3,400 hydrogen buses in Korea, with Incheon operating 725 of them—the highest number of hydrogen buses among all local governments nationwide. Vice President Hong added that the initial investment burden was alleviated through subsidies from local governments, and that the expansion of refueling infrastructure contributed to the wider adoption.

In the United States, the "NorCALZERO" project at the Port of Oakland, California, was cited as an example. Vice President Hong stated, "We have deployed 30 XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks for commercial transportation between the port and logistics centers," and added, "By 2028, this project is expected to have reduced carbon emissions by more than 24,000 tons."

She further emphasized that "long-distance and large-scale logistics are sectors where electrification is most difficult," and remarked, "This example demonstrates that hydrogen is the most suitable clean mobility solution for ports and long-haul logistics."

Hyundai Motor Group is expanding its business scope from mobility to hydrogen production, storage, and transportation. In Boryeong and Buan, the company is working to start operations of domestic 1 MW-class PEM water electrolysis facilities this year and next year, respectively. In Saemangeum, the company is pushing forward with a 200 MW-class water electrolysis plant linked to renewable energy. Hyundai also plans to expand waste-based hydrogen production from Cheongju and Paju to West Java in Indonesia, as well as Hong Kong, among other locations.

Notably, in Saemangeum, Hyundai is envisioning an "AI·Hydrogen City" model that integrates renewable energy, hydrogen, AI, and advanced manufacturing. This plan involves producing about 30,000 tons of clean hydrogen annually through a 200 MW-class water electrolysis plant, and utilizing this hydrogen for a 50,000-GPU-class AI data center, autonomous mobility, robotics, and AI robot factories.

Vice President Hong also stressed the importance of consistent government policy support. She stated, "The hydrogen industry is moving beyond the stage of verifying technological feasibility and now needs to accumulate practical business cases and lower costs." She further suggested, "A predictable policy environment is required so that companies can continue long-term investments," and added, "Hydrogen should be viewed not only as a mobility fuel, but also as a resource that contributes to energy security and the stability of power systems."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.