Hyundai Motor Company is deploying its XCIENT Fuel Cell heavy-duty trucks in Uruguay as part of a major green logistics initiative aimed at reducing carbon emissions in the country’s forestry transport sector.
The company announced that it has recently supplied eight XCIENT hydrogen fuel cell trucks to Uruguay for use in the “Kahirós Project,” a private-sector collaboration designed to decarbonize logistics operations. The project is scheduled to begin full-scale operations in the second half of 2026.
At the core of the initiative is the integration of hydrogen-powered trucks with a green hydrogen production system based on solar energy. The project aims to significantly reduce carbon emissions generated during timber transportation by building a fully decarbonized logistics ecosystem.
To support this, a 4.8MW solar power plant has been installed, while a water electrolysis facility capable of producing approximately 77 tons of hydrogen annually, along with a hydrogen refueling station, is currently under construction.
The project, valued at around $40 million, involves a consortium of three Uruguayan companies. Spain’s Banco Santander is participating as a key investor, supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the United Nations Renewable Energy Innovation Fund.
Under the partnership structure, energy company Ventus will oversee hydrogen production and refueling station operations, while logistics firm Fraylog will manage transportation operations. Fidocar, Hyundai’s local distributor, will handle vehicle importation, regulatory approvals, and maintenance.
The XCIENT Fuel Cell truck is a 37.2-ton class heavy-duty tractor equipped with a 180kW fuel cell system and an electric motor capable of delivering up to 350kW of power. It stores up to 68kg of hydrogen across 10 tanks and can travel up to 720 kilometers on a single charge.
Once the project begins, six of the eight trucks will initially be deployed for timber transport, with an estimated annual driving distance of around 1 million kilometers. The remaining two trucks will be introduced later as demand increases.
This initiative is particularly significant as it marks the first commercial deployment of hydrogen fuel cell trucks in Latin America’s logistics sector.
Hyundai Motor plans to use this project as a stepping stone to strengthen its competitiveness in eco-friendly commercial vehicles and accelerate its expansion into the Latin American market. The company also reaffirmed its commitment to contributing to a sustainable future by advancing the decarbonization of transportation.
The XCIENT Fuel Cell truck has already proven its technology and environmental performance in markets such as South Korea, Switzerland, the United States, and Germany. Since its launch in Switzerland in 2020, the fleet surpassed 10 million kilometers in cumulative driving distance within about three years and eight months, and has now exceeded 20 million kilometers across 165 units operating in Europe.
In North America, a total of 63 units are currently in operation across projects in California ports, Georgia logistics networks, and Canada’s British Columbia, collectively surpassing 1 million miles (approximately 1.6 million kilometers) in cumulative distance.
