Following its deployment in several countries, Hyundai Motor Company and Plus have unveiled plans to launch their jointly-developed L4 autonomous Class 8 XCIENT Fuel Cell hydrogen-electric truck in the U.S.
The companies confirmed that the jointly-developed truck is currently undergoing initial autonomous driving assessments in the region. Alongside this launch, Hyundai’s collaboration with Plus more broadly seeks to demonstrate the potential autonomous hydrogen fuel cell trucks have to make trucking safer, more efficient, and more sustainable.
The XCIENT truck was first introduced in 2020 and has since conducted commercial operations in eight countries around the world. Hyundai had previously introduced a XCIENT Fuel Cell tractor, the commercialized Class 8 6×4 fuel cell electric model, powered by two 90 kW (120 hp) hydrogen fuel cell systems and a 350 kW (469 hp) e-motor – together providing a driving range of over 450 miles (724 miles) per charge, even when fully loaded.
Plus’s SuperDrive solution is being deployed across the U.S., Europe, and Australia. The system uses a combination of cutting-edge sensors, including LiDAR, radar, and cameras, to provide surround perception, planning, prediction, and self-driving capabilities.
