TIME recognizes Hyundai and PlusAI for pioneering autonomous hydrogen-powered freight innovation

Hyundai and PlusAI’s XCIENT Fuel Cell truck, combining Level 4 autonomy and hydrogen power, named among TIME’s Best Inventions 2025, shaping the future of sustainable freight.

In 2025, Hyundai Motor and Silicon Valley-based PlusAI earned a place on TIME’s Best Inventions list with a project poised to reshape freight transportation. Their joint creation, the XCIENT Fuel Cell, is the world’s first mass-produced hydrogen-powered Class 8 truck equipped with a Level 4 autonomous driving system. The combination merges zero-emission propulsion with intelligent automation into a fully operational platform.

TIME recognized Hyundai and PlusAI for a collaboration that could redefine long-haul logistics. The XCIENT Fuel Cell has already been deployed across ten countries — including the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, and South Korea — logging nearly 10 million miles. In the U.S., it operates under two initiatives: the NorCAL ZERO Project at the Ports of Oakland and Richmond, and the HTWO Logistics Initiative at Hyundai’s Metaplant in Georgia, which features on-site hydrogen production and refueling.

Technically, the truck integrates two 90-kW fuel-cell stacks, a 350-kW electric motor, and up to 68.6 kilograms of hydrogen stored at 700 bar. Depending on configuration, it can travel between 400 and 700 kilometers per refill, which takes around 20 minutes. PlusAI’s SuperDrive™ system enables fully autonomous hub-to-hub operation using a suite of lidars, radars, and 360-degree cameras.

Analysts from the ICCT note that hydrogen trucks are currently more expensive to operate than battery-electric models, yet falling hydrogen prices and expanding refueling networks could make them competitive after 2030. The technology is already driving the development of hydrogen corridors—dense routes equipped with H₂ refueling stations. The EU’s AFIR regulation mandates hydrogen stations every 200 kilometers on core highways, while the U.S. pursues a National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy through 2040.

For Hyundai, the fusion of autonomy and hydrogen power marks a turning point. In an era defined by driver shortages and environmental pressure, the XCIENT Fuel Cell stands as a tangible example of how innovation can steer heavy-duty transport toward a cleaner, more efficient future.