Hyundai Motor Co. is celebrating the official launch of the NorCAL ZERO Project, a major initiative that is using the company’s hydrogen fuel cell technology to bring zero-emission freight transportation to the San Francisco Bay Area and California’s Central Valley.
The dedication event held at Oakland’s FirstElement Fuel Hydrogen Refueling Station brought Hyundai Motor together with its project partners. These include the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE); GLOVIS America Inc.; East Bay Municipal Utilities District; FirstElement Fuel (FEF); Papé; the University of California; the Port of Oakland; the city of Oakland; and the community of West Oakland represented by the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP).
Also in attendance were representatives from the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC), the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Energy Commission (CEC), all of whom provided grant funds to make this project possible.
As part of the NorCAL ZERO Project — also known as Zero-Emission Regional Truck Operations with Fuel Cell Electric Trucks — Hyundai Motor deployed 30 Class 8 XCIENT fuel cell electric trucks with a 6×4 drive axle configuration in California. These trucks have been in commercial operation since 2023. This delivery marks the single largest commercial deployment of Class 8 hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric trucks in the U.S.
“The NorCAL ZERO Project in Oakland marks a significant step forward in realizing Hyundai’s vision for a global hydrogen society,” says Ken Ramirez, executive vice president and head of Global Commercial Vehicle & Hydrogen Business at Hyundai Motor. “The project demonstrates how the transport energy transition is achievable today and will serve as one of the building blocks for Hyundai’s port decarbonization initiatives worldwide.”
