Hyundai Motor Company’s hydrogen fuel cell truck, developed in collaboration with autonomous driving specialist Plus, has been named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025, underscoring how hydrogen and autonomy are shaping the next frontier of zero-emission freight.

This milestone highlights a powerful shift in the global transport sector: the fusion of hydrogen propulsion and AI-driven autonomy as a practical, scalable pathway toward decarbonising long-haul logistics.

A Breakthrough in Clean, Intelligent Freight

The award-winning concept combines Hyundai’s XCIENT Fuel Cell 6×4 platform with Plus’s Level 4 autonomous “SuperDrive” system, representing a bold step toward sustainable, self-driving heavy-duty transport.

The XCIENT platform is powered by twin 90 kW fuel cell stacks, delivering up to 180 kW of continuous power and backed by over 6 million kilometres of real-world driving data across Switzerland, Germany and South Korea.

This hydrogen-electric truck is capable of hauling more than 37 tonnes while achieving 400 km of range per fill, with refuelling times between 8 and 20 minutes. Crucially, it emits nothing but water vapour, offering a true zero-tailpipe-emission alternative for logistics operators that need both range and reliability.

Why It Matters

TIME’s recognition places Hyundai and Plus among the world’s most influential innovators in the Transportation category, citing the vehicle’s potential to “radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from long-haul trucking.”

For ZeroMission, this marks a critical proof point for the viability of hydrogen in the heavy-duty sector, particularly when combined with automation to improve uptime, route optimisation, and overall fleet efficiency.

Autonomy and hydrogen together represent a system-level innovation: one reduces human fatigue and operational variability, the other delivers clean energy density and quick refuelling, a combination long seen as essential for 24/7 freight operations.

Building the Hydrogen Ecosystem

Through its HTWO division, Hyundai is scaling hydrogen beyond vehicles, investing in electrolysis, storage, and refuelling infrastructure across Europe, China, and North America.

The company’s roadmap aligns closely with the 2030 hydrogen corridor goals outlined by Daimler, Volvo, and other OEMs, which call for at least 2,000 hydrogen refuelling stations across Europe.

As Hyundai expands production of its commercial fuel cell trucks in Germany and beyond, industry watchers see the HTWO-Plus partnership as a preview of the next decade of freight innovation where data, autonomy, and hydrogen converge to unlock true zero-emission logistics.

ZeroMission’s Take

At ZeroMission, we see Hyundai’s TIME-recognised innovation as further evidence that the future of heavy-duty transport will be multi-energy, intelligent, and data-driven.

As part of our own FleetOps360° and éxō platforms, we continue to help fleets evaluate hydrogen and battery-electric pathways, model total cost of ownership, and identify where autonomous and AI-assisted systems can improve safety, utilisation, and sustainability outcomes.

Hydrogen is not a distant dream. It is arriving, faster and smarter than ever.

Reach out to our expert team at zeromission