This was revealed by Hyundai’s Head of R&D Albert Biermann who confirmed that hand-in-hand with Hyundai Motor Group’s daring plan to electrify their entire commercial vehicle line-up by 2028, the group, which is composed of Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis will stop development of its combustion engines starting 2028. It will then phase them out gradually. Biermann says the exact timing is market and region specific, but it will be a global move.

In Korea, for example, Hyundai will immediately lobby the use of fuel cell for both logistics and public mass transport needs, including aerospace and marine applications.

Replacing gasoline and diesel engines, Hyundai will instead move the power source of its commercial vehicles to either Fuel Cell (FCV) or Battery Electric (BEV).

The main challenge though, Hyundai says, is down to cost. Thankfully, unlike battery electric vehicles which are burdened by the high cost of raw materials in the production of batteries, the Korean automaker says the most expensive part of FCVs is down to the Polymer Electrolyte Membrane or PEM which isn’t much by weight. Once production volume reaches critical mass, it can potentially be more affordable than BEVs.

Fuel cell vehicles or FCVs generate electricity using the oxygen in the air and compressed hydrogen stored in a tank. The hydrogen fuel cell functions like a battery, producing electricity, which can run an electric motor. The only emission by-product is water vapor. Instead of requiring recharging, however, the fuel cell can be refilled with hydrogen in as little as five minutes (just like a conventional combustion-engined vehicle).