Hyundai Motor’s decision to break ground on a ₩930 billion (US $654 million) hydrogen fuel cell and electrolyser plant in Ulsan, South Korea, is more than a manufacturing story; it’s a signal of where the next battle for zero-emission mobility will be fought.
The world’s third-largest automaker, alongside Kia, plans to produce tens of thousands of fuel-cell systems annually for use across passenger cars, heavy trucks, buses, construction machinery and even marine vessels. It’s an all-in commitment to hydrogen power — and one that highlights how far the UK is falling behind on the infrastructure needed to make this technology viable at home.
Hydrogen refuelling stations in operation across the entire country. By contrast, Germany and France each have more than 100, supported by national strategies that treat hydrogen as an integral pillar of transport decarbonisation.
Hyundai isn’t waiting for others to act. Through its European subsidiary, Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility, the company is already deploying fuel-cell trucks in Switzerland and Germany, while partnering with local suppliers to establish production and maintenance ecosystems. In the UK, Hyundai’s executives have urged ministers to “recognise hydrogen’s role”, not as a futuristic add-on, but as an essential component of a resilient, multi-technology net-zero transport system.
The UK government’s Hydrogen Strategy sets an ambition of up to 10 GW of low-carbon hydrogen production by 2030, but the roadmap for transport infrastructure remains vague. There are no binding targets for the number of refuelling stations, nor a clear funding mechanism to help private operators build them. Without these, hydrogen vehicles, whether cars, trucks or buses, will never scale.
If the UK wants to be part of the hydrogen economy that Hyundai and others are building, it must move beyond pilot projects. We need:
- A national hydrogen refuelling infrastructure plan with binding station targets by 2030;
- Dedicated funding for heavy-duty and fleet hydrogen corridors connecting ports, logistics hubs and major cities;
- Procurement mandates for hydrogen-powered public buses and HGVs to create stable demand;
- And supply-chain incentives for domestic manufacturers producing tanks, electrolysers and fuel-cell components.
Hyundai’s new plant is a statement of intent: the hydrogen transition is no longer theoretical. The UK can either invest strategically to become part of that industrial network, or watch the next generation of clean mobility technology take root elsewhere.
The post Hyundai’s Hydrogen Bet: A Wake-Up Call for the UK’s Infrastructure Policy first appeared on Haush.