A project with eight Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks will premiere in timber transport, bet on green hydrogen and turn Uruguay into a regional exhibition platform for low-emission logistics.
Hyundai Motor has announced the commissioning of a fleet of eight XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks in Uruguay, marking South America’s first regular operation of heavy trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
The initiative is part of The Kahirós Projectwhich was created to decarbonise the country’s timber logistics and accelerate the use of transport solutions with no emissions from the exhaust.
The move places Uruguay in a strategic position in the new competition for clean fuels for freight transport. The country appears to be an ideal environment for this type of operation, as by 2024 it produced 99% of its electricity from renewable energy sources, according to official and industry sources.
In practice, the project includes a complete infrastructure to support operations. In addition to the trucks, Kahirós includes a 4.8 MW solar park and an electrolysis plant that can produce 77 tons of green hydrogen per year. Start of operation is planned for November 2026.
Hyundai states that six trucks will make up the main fleet, while two more will act as a reserve and support for future expansions. During normal operation, the six main vehicles are expected to drive a total of almost 1 million kilometers per year in an application aimed at logistics in the forest and paper industry.
The total investment in the Kahirós project is 40 million US dollars, with participation from the Santander Group and support from the International Finance Corporation (World Bank) as well as the UN’s Renewable Energy Innovation Fund. The local consortium includes Ventus, Fraylog and Fidocar, Hyundai’s distributor in Uruguay.
Technically speaking, it is Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell equipped with two fuel cell stacks of 90 kW, a total of 180 kW, as well as an electric motor of 350 kW, corresponding to 469 hp, with a torque of 2,237 Nm. The truck also carries 68 kg of hydrogen spread over 10 tanks, has a 72 kWh battery and can reach up to 720 km of range under ideal conditions.
In addition to being a regional premiere, the operation in Uruguay serves as a real large-scale test of hydrogen trucks in South America. For Hyundai, the project strengthens the global spread of XCIENT Fuel Cell-the ecosystem that has already developed in Europe and North America. For the transport sector in the region, the message is clear: hydrogen is moving from promise to reality on the roads.
Source and images: Hyundai Motor. This content is created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial staff.
