Hydrogen Hopes Shudder Amid Spate of Bankruptcies

(Automotive News/Yahoo!) Hydrogen trucking startups have faltered, leaving legacy manufacturers to determine whether the energy source has a long-term future in hauling cargo. Three startups that built fuel cell systems or upfitted them into commercial vehicles — Nikola Corp., Hyzon Motors Inc. and Quantron AG ― have all declared bankruptcy over the past six months.

Nikola, which sold more than 200 fuel cell trucks last year, cited adverse market and macroeconomic conditions when it filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month.

Collectively, the companies’ troubles represent a setback to hopes that hydrogen could mature into a clean energy source, particularly in the heavy-duty vehicle applications, in which fuel cell technology offers shorter fueling times and longer ranges compared with battery-electric counterparts.

Legacy manufacturers retain a keen interest in hydrogen. Toyota Motor Corp. unveiled its third-generation fuel cell system in February. The company intends to introduce it in heavy-duty commercial vehicles across the globe.

Hyundai Motor Corp. has 35 of its Xcient-branded fuel cell trucks operating in California as part of two distinct projects.

Volvo Trucks is developing trucks with combustion engines that run on hydrogen. On-road testing is expected to begin next year.

Some of those manufacturers remain bullish on utilizing fuel cells in passenger vehicles, although that tiny market is shrinking. Global fuel-cell EV sales reached a peak of 20,704 vehicles sold in 2022, according to SNE Research statistics. Total sales tumbled to 12,866 in 2024, a drop the firm attributed to dwindling sales of the Hyundai Nexo in the Korean market. Hyundai anticipates unveiling a revamped Nexo this year and expanding its fuel cell commercial vehicle lineup.

Toyota has produced its Mirai since 2014, though sales have been scant. Approximately 28,000 have been sold across 30 countries, the automaker said in February.

But startups and legacy players alike will be hamstrung by the lack of hydrogen infrastructure across the U.S., he said.

Only 54 public hydrogen fueling stations exist in the U.S., according to Department of Energy records.

The nation’s pipeline networks require new coatings and fittings to reliably carry hydrogen, and those enhancements are “nonexistent,” he (Conrad Layson, senior alternative propulsion analyst at AutoForecast Solutions) said.

Countries such as China and South Korea have made building out hydrogen networks national priorities. China intends to have approximately 1,200 hydrogen stations online by the end of the year, with a concentration along freight corridors, according to Interact Analysis. South Korea has 159 and Japan has 161, according to the firm’s estimates.

The industry has sought to keep the tax credit. On Feb. 18, dozens of organizations and companies, including General Motors and Hyundai, signed a letter to congressional leadership that said 45V is “essential” for President Trump’s “bold energy dominance agenda.”

Universal Hydrogen, a startup developing conversion kits that would allow aircraft to run on hydrogen fuel, closed in June after depleting its funding. More recently, in February, global manufacturer Airbus said it has delayed plans to develop a hydrogen-powered aircraft until the middle of next decade. READ MORE