Hyundai is hauling logs with hydrogen. Eight XCIENT Fuel Cell Class-8 tractors are now operating in Uruguay, marking South America’s first deployment of hydrogen-powered heavy trucks. The Kahirós Project aims to decarbonise timber logistics, which sounds niche until you realise how much diesel these things normally burn.
This isn’t Hyundai’s first rodeo. They’ve already got 63 hydrogen trucks running in North America and 165 in Europe, where the fleet has racked up over 20 million kilometres since launching in Switzerland in 2020. The technology works; they’re just spreading it around.
Uruguay was chosen because the country generates 99 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources. That matters for hydrogen because if you’re making the stuff with coal-fired electricity, you’ve rather missed the point. The Kahirós Project includes a 4.8 MW solar park and an electrolysis plant cranking out 77 tonnes of green hydrogen annually.
What’s Under the Cab
The XCIENT Fuel Cell truck produces 180 kW from two 90 kW fuel cell stacks, driving a 350 kW electric motor with 2,237 Nm of torque. Ten hydrogen tanks hold 68 kg total, supplemented by a 72 kWh battery pack, delivering up to 720 km of range. That’s diesel-truck territory without the diesel-truck emissions.
The Class 8 tractors have a gross combined weight capacity of 82,000 lbs (37,195 kg), making them proper heavy haulers. Most importantly, the only thing coming out of the exhaust is water. Your Prius wishes it could.
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ABOVE: Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell fleet and truck detail in Uruguay
Follow the Money
Kahirós Associates is a joint venture of Uruguayan companies Ventus (energy), Fraylog (logistics) and Fidocar (Hyundai’s local distributor). The project is backed by $40 million from Santander Group, with support from the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank and the UN’s Renewable Energy Innovation Fund. When the World Bank and the UN are throwing money at your trucking operation, you know the decarbonisation pressure is real.
Operations are planned to begin in November 2026, with the main fleet of six trucks expected to travel nearly one million kilometres per year hauling timber. Hyundai has provided two additional tractors as backups and for exploring service expansion. Because nothing says “we believe in this technology” like sending spares.
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Alan Zurvas is the founder and editor of Gay Car Boys, Australia's leading LGBTQI+ automotive publication. Before launching GCB in 2008, Alan's automotive writing was published in SameSame.com.au and the Star Observer. With over 16 years of hands-on car reviewing experience, Alan brings an honest, irreverent voice to every review — championing value and innovation over brand loyalty.
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