Hyundai Motor Group and Air Liquide have expanded their strategic partnership to fast-track the growth of the global hydrogen ecosystem. The renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed during the Hydrogen Council CEO Summit held from December 2–4 in Seoul.
Under this collaboration, both companies will work toward advancing a fully integrated hydrogen value chain covering production, storage, transportation, and end-use applications. The initiative aims to scale hydrogen adoption across major regions—Europe, Korea, and the United States—with a strong focus on heavy-duty mobility, logistics, and public transportation.
By combining Air Liquide’s deep technological expertise with Hyundai’s leadership in mobility innovation, the partnership is set to drive progress toward a sustainable hydrogen economy and support global carbon-neutrality goals.
“Hyundai Motor Group is proud to deepen its collaboration with Air Liquide to realize our shared vision of a hydrogen-powered future. Together, we are building a robust hydrogen value chain, from production to utilization, with the aim of making hydrogen a practical and sustainable solution for global energy challenges.” – Ken Ramirez, Head of Energy & Hydrogen Business Division at Hyundai Motor Group
“We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Hyundai Motor Group. Collaborations like this between leaders across the value chain are essential to building the hydrogen economy. The progress we’ve made in Korea highlights what’s possible when industry leaders work together for a sustainable future.” – Armelle Levieux, Vice President of Innovation, Electronics and Hydrogen at Air Liquide
Building a Global Hydrogen Ecosystem
Through their strengthened collaboration, the Group and Air Liquide will establish key hubs in Europe, Korea and U.S. to foster hydrogen ecosystem growth. The partnership’s strategic initiatives include:
- Infrastructure Expansion: Developing hydrogen refueling networks and storage capacity to meet growing demand.
- Reliable Supply Chain Development: Establishing a hydrogen ecosystem covering low carbon and renewable production, transportation, distribution, and utilization across mobility and other key sectors. A core element is also the acceleration of innovation in hydrogen technologies.
- Hydrogen Mobility Deployment: Commercializing fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) for diverse applications, including logistics fleets, public buses and port operations.
Milestones in South Korea: Pioneering Progress in Hydrogen Adoption
The Hyundai Motor Group-Air Liquide partnership has already delivered tangible results in South Korea, setting a strong foundation for future growth.
Key achievements in Korea include:
FCEV Commercialization: The Group has deployed more than 2,000 hydrogen buses and 37,000 passenger FCEVs to date, with plans to scale further by 2025.
Refueling Network Expansion: The companies have collaborated on advanced hydrogen refueling stations through Hynet and Kohygen, where both the Group and Air Liquide are shareholders.
- Supply Chain Innovations: Air Liquide has strengthened hydrogen capabilities in South Korea with Lotte-Air Liquide Ener’Hy nation’s largest 450-bar Filling Center recently inaugurated in Daesan, offering cost-competitive solutions to support growing hydrogen demand.
Driving Global Leadership as Co-Chairs of the Hydrogen Council
The strengthened partnership also underscores the companies’ global leadership in the hydrogen industry as co-chairs of the Hydrogen Council. The Group and Air Liquide will work together to drive international cooperation, industry standardization and policy advocacy to accelerate the global hydrogen ecosystem’s expansion. As co-chairs of the Council, they reaffirmed their commitment to expanding hydrogen’s role in the global energy transition and decarbonization efforts.
The expanded partnership between the Group and Air Liquide represents a pivotal step in advancing global hydrogen adoption. By combining resources, expertise and leadership, the two companies are poised to achieve significant progress in hydrogen infrastructure, mobility and innovation, paving the way for carbon neutrality and a cleaner future.
