Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated hydrogen fuel cell system brand, HTWO, will make its motorsports debut, providing its fuel cell generator to the ETCR (Electric Touring Car Racing) category.
ETCR is the world’s first all-electric touring car race category that provides leading vehicle manufacturers a global stage to showcase electric technology in a high-performance arena. Only vehicles without internal combustion engines are allowed to participate.
The group is not only entering its own racing team in the Pure ETCR championship but is also providing a mobile charging infrastructure that uses HTWO’s proprietary fuel cell generator to charge all participating high-performance EVs. The charging system can generate up to 160kW of electricity, boasting an output equivalent to twice that of the NEXO, Hyundai Motor Company’s fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). The system can fully charge two ETCR vehicles—each equipped with a 65kWh battery—simultaneously within an hour.
The hydrogen mobile generation concept can also be implemented to supply power in remote areas where electricity is not accessible, or serve as an emergency power source for data centers and similar applications in the event of a power outage. ETCR will not only serve as a high-performance vehicle testbed for the Group to advance its electrification products but will also provide new business and market expansion opportunities for HTWO’s power generation technology.
“It is a significant milestone for Hyundai Motor Group that our fuel cell generator will play a key role in the charging infrastructure for high-performance racing cars at ETCR, as it heralds an exciting new era in the world of motorsports,” said Saehoon Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of Fuel Cell Center, Hyundai Motor Group. “Through the event, we hope to relay a message that hydrogen and electric energy solutions will coexist as the power sources of future mobility.”
In addition to ETCR, HTWO also supplies its fuel cell systems to LS Electric, H2SYS and GRZ, and is actively cooperating with the companies to further develop fuel cell power generation technology. Furthermore, HWTO plans to expand the application of its fuel cell technology to power vessels, railways, urban air mobility vehicles and various other future mobility fields.
Pure ETCR will be held for the first time in Vallelunga, Italy, from Friday, June 18 to Sunday, June 20. More details on the Hyundai Motorsports ETCR team will be shared next week.
