South Korean auto manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company walked away with two 2020 Future Mobility of the Year Awards at the end of July for both their hydrogen-powered fuel cell heavy-duty truck HDC-6 Neptune and its built-in e-scooter.
The Future Mobility of the Year Awards were founded in 2019 by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) Graduate School for Green Transportation as the world’s first concept car awards for auto manufacturers that are contributing to the mobility of our future society.
The Future Mobility of the Year Awards are given out in three vehicle categories – Personal, Private, and Public & Commercial.
Honda’s e Concept walked away with the award for Private mobility of 2020, described by one of the judges as “a vehicle that thanks to its stunning design, advanced HMI and driving dynamics could be responsible for driving the EV revolution from early adopters to mass market.”
Hyundai – Korean company – took the remaining two awards, its Neptune HDC-6 Hydrogen Truck for the Public & Commercial category and the Hyundai e-Scooter for the Personal mobility category.
Sixteen judges, including top automotive journalists from 11 countries, selected Hyundai Motor’s submissions from a total of 71 concepts that have debuted at international motor shows for consideration across the three award categories.
“HDC-6 NEPTUNE is like an ambassador concept vehicle that illuminates Hyundai Motor’s top status and prowess in next-generation fuel-cell electric vehicles and fuel-cell technology,” said SangYup Lee, Senior Vice President and head of the Hyundai Global Design Center. “It embodies Hyundai Motor’s vision and customer value as the leader of global hydrogen mobility industry in its futuristic design.”
“The built-in e-scooter delivers both mobility and usability and sets a new standard for the individual last-mile mobility market,” added Dong Jin Hyun, Head of Robotics Lab at Hyundai Motor Group.
Hyundai debuted its electric scooter back in August and unveiled its HDC-6 Neptune Concept in November.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.