The unit incorporates a hybrid architecture combining a hydrogen fuel cell with an electric battery, allowing complementary use of both energy sources. Gianni López, director of Centro Mario Molina, stated the challenge now centers on scaling the technology, generating demand, and building a national industry to make green hydrogen a competitive alternative to fossil fuels. Corfo’s Technology Capabilities manager Fernando Hentzschel emphasized the project activates an economic cycle for hydrogen while adding value to the industry, expressing hope that Chile will eventually export not only hydrogen and derivatives but also Chilean-made technology.
The vehicle enters its real-world pilot phase with logistics operators across three regions. CCU, alongside Transportes Rubén Martínez, will operate the unit in the Metropolitan and Valparaíso regions, while Swisslog conducts trials in Magallanes. These pilots will validate the pre-production unit’s effectiveness in actual operations. CCU’s participation reflects the company’s strategy to reduce its carbon footprint across the millions of kilometers it travels annually distributing products throughout Chile.
Centro Mario Molina projects expansion of hydrogen mobility solutions in 2027, planning a hybrid minibus with external electric generation and a 20-ton truck for mid-mile operations, both developed with Corfo support. The announcement coincided with Corfo and eight companies—Colbún, Copec, Abastible, Arauco/Bioforest, Fosfoquim, Marval, Comasa H2V, and Walmart Chile—signing an agreement to deepen green hydrogen adoption across strategic industrial processes. The agreement aims to build local value chains and technical capacity as a precondition for future large-scale global commercialization of Chilean green hydrogen.
This article was curated and published as part of our South American energy market coverage.
