Hyundai Motor to Collaborate for Full-Scale Development of Hydrogen Mobility Industry in Czech Republic

Multilateral MOU for Establishing a Hydrogen Mobility Ecosystem in the Czech Republic

On the 28th, Hyundai Motor Company signed a multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Hilton Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic, focusing on mutual cooperation to establish a hydrogen mobility ecosystem in the Czech Republic. The agreement was made with the Czech Hydrogen Association ‘HYTEP (HYDROGEN TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM)’, the Korean public-private hydrogen supply activation council ‘Hydrogen Convergence Alliance (H2KOREA)’, Hyundai Glovis, the Czech ‘Zibra Group’, ‘Orlen Unipetrol’, and 13 other companies and institutions.

Photo by Hyundai Motor Company

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Hyundai Motor Company is joining forces with the Korea-Czech Hydrogen Association and private hydrogen-related companies from both countries to establish a hydrogen industry foundation in the Czech Republic.

On the 28th (local time), Hyundai Motor announced that it signed a multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Hilton Hotel in Prague with the Czech Hydrogen Association ‘HYTEP (HYDROGEN TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM)’, Korea’s hydrogen supply activation public-private consultative body ‘Hydrogen Convergence Alliance (H2KOREA)’, Hyundai Glovis, Czech companies including ‘Zibra Group’ and ‘Orlen Unipetrol’, and 13 other companies and institutions. The MOU focuses on mutual cooperation to build a hydrogen mobility ecosystem within the Czech Republic.

The signing ceremony was attended by Lee Chang-yang, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy; Petr Merbar, Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Special Ambassador for Hydrogen; Moon Jae-do, Chairman of the Hydrogen Convergence Alliance; Martin Paidar, Vice Chairman of HYTEP; Shin Seung-gyu, Executive Director of Hyundai Motor; and Kim Ki-cheol, Executive Director of Hyundai Glovis, among others.

This agreement was promoted under the shared recognition that hydrogen will play a crucial role at a time when the global energy paradigm is shifting from fossil fuels to environmentally friendly, affordable, and reliable energy sources. The MOU parties, including Hyundai Motor and the two countries, will pursue ▲ information exchange in the hydrogen sector, ▲ hydrogen mobility manufacturing and demonstration, ▲ hydrogen refueling and transportation infrastructure development, and ▲ hydrogen production technology development and demonstration.

First, Hyundai Motor will supply hydrogen fuel cell systems and provide related technical support to Czech companies participating in the MOU, such as Zibra Group, to assist in developing hydrogen mobility optimized for the Czech market, including small multipurpose hydrogen trucks. Through this, local Czech companies plan to manufacture multipurpose hydrogen commercial vehicles and operate various demonstration driving programs for commercialization.

By conducting demonstration drives of hydrogen commercial vehicles, it is expected to verify the feasibility of replacing existing diesel commercial vehicles and confirm actual demand, thereby forecasting the future prospects and sustainability of the hydrogen mobility business in the Czech market.

They will also cooperate in building hydrogen infrastructure to expand the supply of hydrogen energy and hydrogen mobility. The Hydrogen Convergence Alliance and Hyundai Motor will share know-how on building and operating hydrogen refueling stations in Korea to expand hydrogen refueling infrastructure in the Czech Republic and provide technical support related to hydrogen refueling stations. In the hydrogen production sector, they will promote the development of eco-friendly hydrogen production technologies and reduce production costs.

The hydrogen associations and companies from both countries participating in the MOU plan to conduct joint feasibility studies, collaborative technology development, and demonstration projects for hydrogen production using renewable energy and low-carbon energy sources.

Hyundai Glovis, leveraging its expertise as a supply chain management specialist, will provide transportation services for hydrogen energy distribution across the entire hydrogen supply chain?from production to utilization?as well as for parts and assembly equipment for hydrogen commercial vehicles and hydrogen refueling station facilities.

A Hyundai Motor official said, “This cooperation project will lay the foundation for hydrogen mobility to play a key role in the paradigm shift of the Czech automotive industry,” adding, “We expect this to promote the development of various hydrogen business models in the Czech Republic and activate the hydrogen economy.”