Hyundai Hypes Ridiculous Hydrogen Dream Decades Out of Date

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I was checking press releases from automakers today, wondering if there were any lingering EV announcements related to the IAA motor show in Munich. And what do I find but a hydrogen-hype press release that looks decades out of date.

Naturally, it’s tied to an event in Japan, where the hydrogen hype train seems to never end. For whatever reason (there are various assumptions and arguments on this), Japan has been more obsessed with hydrogen fantasies than any other nation. The press release from Hyundai today was titled “Hyundai Motor Group Champions Hydrogen Innovation at Osaka Energy Ministerial Meetings.” Hyundai noted that it was participating in the 1st Ministerial Meeting on Sustainable Fuels and the 7th Hydrogen Energy Ministerial Meeting — in Osaka, Japan.

Bullet point number two from Hyundai Motor Group, the company “highlighted hydrogen’s pivotal role in the future of clean energy.” Yes, pivotal role. Has someone not tuned into what is happening in the market for the past decade? Does Hyundai legitimately think hydrogen is anything more than an extremely out of date dream in the vehicle industry at this point in time? Is there some reason Hyundai needs to humor people in Japan and continue hyping a hydrogen economy?

“The Group’s participation reinforces its nearly three decades long commitment to hydrogen innovation and calls for policy and regulatory support to scale hydrogen ecosystems.” Yes, three decades now….

More than 25 countries as well as the International Energy Agency (IEA), Asian Development Bank (ADB), and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) were also involved in the meeting. I genuinely feel like I’ve been thrown back 10 years reading about this.

Funny enough, after decades of working on this, the focus of the international hydrogen meeting was on how to stimulate demand for this so-called pivotal fuel. “The 7th Hydrogen Energy Ministerial Meeting, held in the afternoon under the theme of ‘Demand Creation,’ to discuss strategies to stimulate global adoption of hydrogen and its derivatives.” Yes, how to stimulate demand for a solution we don’t need?

“At the ministerial meetings, the Group emphasized the strategic importance of hydrogen as a cornerstone for achieving a clean and resilient energy future, calling for consistent policy measures and regulatory frameworks to scale hydrogen ecosystems globally.” How many billions of dollars has hydrogen gotten from governments by now? It hasn’t received enough support yet? “Building on the Korea-Japan Hydrogen Cooperation Dialogue held earlier this year, the Group announced these commitments, reaffirming both nations’ dedication to advancing standardization and fostering institutional cooperation in the hydrogen sector.”

I would say it’s all sad and frustrating, but it’s simply laughable at this point.

“We stand at a pivotal juncture where hydrogen must be a core pillar and a strategic enabler for the global energy transition,” said Ken Ramírez, Head of Energy & Hydrogen Business Division at Hyundai Motor Group. Really? Really, man? Talk about scamming a living.

Green hydrogen has some uses. But this fascination with hydrogen from some legacy automakers like Hyundai is so 1990s or 2000s. The idea that it’s a big pivotal solution and we’ll build “hydrogen economies” — I just don’t know where this is coming from.