[월간수소경제 박상우 기자] Hyundai Motor Company’s XCIENT Fuel Cell will be used to improve air quality in California, USA.
Hyundai Motor Company has been selected for the “2021 TAG (Targeted Airshed Grants)” program competition hosted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and plans to supply five Xient hydrogen electric trucks to California in the third quarter of 2023, the work affirmed.
The TAG program started in 2015 led by the US EPA and is a funding program that the EPA receives and supports projects from air quality management agencies in each region or state with the goal of reducing air pollution in the United States.
When the agency selects a partner and applies for a project in the form of a consortium, the EPA finally approves around 10 projects and provides grants.
In the TAG 2021 program, Hyundai Motor participated in a project hosted by the Southern Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) in California with FirstElement Fuel (FEF), a US company specializing in the construction and operation of hydrogen charging stations.
SCAQMD, an air quality management agency under the state government of California, has proposed to Hyundai Motor and FEF to replace the FEF California-operated diesel-powered hydrogen truck with a Xient hydrogen electric truck, and both companies accepted the project and the project was completed.
The project was highly rated by the EPA in terms of its emission reduction effect, technology and sustainability and ultimately won a grant of $ 3.5 million (approximately 4.8 billion won).
Hyundai Motor plans to sign a contract with FEF in the future and supply hydrogen electric trucks in the third quarter of 2023. The vehicle will be put into commercial operation after undergoing a one-year mandatory demonstration project in California.
Hyundai Motor Company was also selected as one of the final suppliers in the California Port Eco-Friendly Truck Introduction Project (NorCAL ZERO) offering hosted by the California Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission last year. A total of 30 hydrogen electric trucks will be supplied.
After last year, through the final selection of the TAG 2021 program, Hyundai has once again demonstrated the excellent technology and eco-friendliness of the Xient hydrogen electric truck. In particular, it is significant in that it has been recognized by the EPA, a federal government agency that oversees work related to environmental and automotive emissions in the United States.
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