The latest confirmation came last October, when Interbrand, a branding company, announced that the Hyundai brand had climbed to 35th place in the Best Global Brands 2021 ranking. The reasons? "The eco-friendly and future-oriented vision regarding electrification and smart mobility solutions, as well as the commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2045," a statement clarifies.

But that is not all. Hyundai has recently invested heavily in electrifying its model range, among the most recent being the electric crossover Ioniq 5, the first virtuous example — to be followed shortly by others — of how the circular economy can support the automotive industry on a path of greater innovation and sustainability. Electrification on one hand, but also hydrogen on the other; the Nexo SUV, which uses hydrogen fuel cell technology, has been on sale in Italy for some time.

Hyundai's vision of future mobility includes other important pieces: from Urban Air Mobility, urban air mobility that envisions the first air taxi by 2030, to robotics, through to autonomous driving — these are the "tools" the Korean manufacturer plans to introduce to tackle longstanding problems such as urban congestion and pollution.

Hyundai invests in the Progress for humanity strategy

Massive electrification plans on one hand and, on the other, the declaration of "wanting to achieve the target of zero carbon emissions across all stages by 2045, from vehicle production, to operation, through to disposal," Hyundai assures. In short, that "circular", holistic approach necessary to tackle a mobility landscape that treats environmental and functional, ethical and environmental aspects equally.

A rather complex journey that Hyundai calls Progress for humanity, a vision that, beyond progressive electrification and hybrid technology in all its forms (mild, full and plug-in hybrid), also seeks to address broader aspects closely linked to mobility, such as the energy transition, a topic on which the recent Cop 26 also highlighted potential pitfalls.

Only zero-emission vehicles in Europe from 2035

Hyundai has stated this on more than one occasion. It intends to sell only electric vehicles in Europe from 2035, before cutting ties with fossil fuels entirely by 2040 in all (or almost all) other markets worldwide. The year 2040 is also the date the manufacturer associates with the widespread adoption of hydrogen, both for private mobility and for transport and other industrial and private sectors, such as the residential sector. In this regard, Hyundai's research has been ongoing for years, and while a new-generation fuel cell system with costs reduced by more than 50 per cent is expected to be introduced by 2023, by 2028 this system will also be available on commercial vehicles. Among the hydrogen trials are container transport systems and emergency rescue and relief vehicles.

"Hyundai Motor Group's vision is to apply hydrogen energy across all areas of life and industry, such as homes, workplaces and factories, easily usable by everyone," president Chung Eui-sun recently declared. Hyundai's first hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle was developed in 1998; the ix35 Fuel Cell — the first hydrogen model to go on regular sale (including in Italy) — was commercialised in 2013, followed in 2018 by the Nexo SUV and, in 2020, by the fuel cell truck, XCient Fuel Cell.

An energy paradigm shift is needed

Responding proactively to climate change through the development and deployment of hydrogen solutions. That is Hyundai's mission. The bet? Designing models that emit lower — or zero — quantities of CO2 while at the same time maintaining a driving range that does not restrict the movement of people and goods. Without overlooking the aspect of price competitiveness: the group's goal is to bring a hydrogen vehicle to a price comparable to that of a battery electric vehicle by 2030.

Hyundai and support for Youth4Climate

Further evidence of the breadth of Hyundai's commitment — in Italy too — to more sustainable mobility, increasingly an effective tool for combating climate change, the brand was a technical partner of Youth4Climate, the youth climate conference held in September in Milan, which saw young people mobilise at the forefront of the fight against climate change. On that occasion, the planned transport was provided by an Ioniq 5 electric fleet: "By providing battery electric vehicles as the event's official shuttles, we demonstrated not only our desire to combat climate change, but our active commitment to doing so," commented Michael Cole, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Europe.

2045, carbon neutrality as the goal

"Climate change is an undeniable challenge that demands the utmost and urgent attention from everyone. Hyundai commits to being carbon neutral in its products and global operations by 2045, and we will make investments in cleaner transport and greener energy solutions to achieve a better and more sustainable future," declared Jaehoon (Jay) Chang, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, at the recent IAA, the Munich motor show.

Achieving carbon neutrality within just over twenty years will not be straightforward for a car manufacturer. And to understand how Hyundai plans to do it, one must look inside its strategy, focused on three points: expanding the range of green vehicles, developing new platforms, and investing in green energy technologies and solutions. On the first point we have already seen the new course set with Ioniq 5; by new transport platforms Hyundai means driverless robotaxis for use in public ride-hailing services as early as 2023, and urban air mobility to connect nearby cities by 2030. The final piece is green hydrogen obtained through the electrolysis of water generated from low-carbon energy sources.

Hyundai's commitment to the oceans

Further evidence of Hyundai's commitment to environmental issues comes from the positive results achieved through its collaboration with Healthy Seas, via an initiative focused on combating ocean pollution, supporting underwater ecosystems and promoting a circular economy. In detail, the activities of the partnership — which launched last April — include waste collection, beach clean-ups and the recovery of abandoned fishing nets, as well as awareness programmes dedicated to children and local communities on the importance of keeping the oceans clean; in total, more than 78 tonnes of waste have been collected to date thanks to Hyundai's support.

To cite a concrete example of the circular economy, through the collaboration between Hyundai and Aquafil — a founding partner of Healthy Seas — the nylon from recovered fishing nets has been regenerated into a yarn used not only for the production of swimwear, but also for the floor mats fitted in the Ioniq 5 electric crossover.