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Hyundai Expands Xcient Dealership Network to Canada
Breadner Trailers Adds Hydrogen Fuel Cell Tractor to Portfolio
Key Takeaways:
- Breadner Trailers became the first Canadian dealer for Hyundai Motor Co.’s Xcient Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell electric tractor.
- Hyundai said Canada is a key market, with 11 Xcient tractors operating there and up to 100 planned for U.S. shipment in 2026.
- Hyundai Translead said customer lead times generally will range from three to four months, depending on plant backlog.
Breadner Trailers will be the first dealer in Canada for Hyundai Motor Co.’s Xcient Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell electric tractor, Hyundai Translead said.
The trucks have been available for order in the U.S. and Canada since July 2025.
Currently, 11 Xcient tractors are operating in Canada, including as part of British Columbia’s BC Hydrogen Ports Project, an initiative aimed at decarbonizing drayage at the Port of Vancouver.
“Canada is one of the key markets for the global commercialization of Hyundai Motor’s hydrogen-powered trucks,” said Chul Youn Park, senior vice president and head of global commercial vehicle and light commercial vehicle business division at Hyundai Motor.
Breslau, Ontario-based Breadner is already a Hyundai Translead dealer. The company operates three facilities: Breslau; Mississauga, Ontario; and Moncton, New Brunswick.
Hyundai Translead — more broadly known as a trailer manufacturer — was named the official distributor of the Xcient tractor on Oct. 26.
San Diego-based Hyundai Translead manufactures dry and refrigerated van trailers, flatbeds, truck bodies, chassis and dollies in the U.S.
In February, Hyundai Translead expanded regional U.S. access to the Xcient by tapping Hendrickson Fleet Solutions as its commercial vehicle dealer for New York and New Jersey.
Customer lead times will generally range between three and four months, depending on plant backlog, a spokeswoman told Transport Topics in November.
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The tractors will continue to be built at Hyundai’s Jeonju plant in South Korea.
Hyundai Translead expects to ship as many as 100 Xcient tractors to the U.S. in 2026 for deployment by commercial fleets.
The company is currently the only truck manufacturer supplying Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell tractors in North America after other companies in the segment either delayed serial production or filed for bankruptcy.
Hyundai debuted the latest iteration of the Xcient at the 2025 Advanced Clean Transportation Expo, offering a revamp of the powertrain, safety systems and driver comforts.
A 180-kilowatt powertrain uses two 90-kW fuel cell stacks but retains a 72-kilowatt-hour battery pack and a 350-kW e-motor from the first-generation system. The updated system was tailored to the North American market, Hyundai said, and offers a maximum range of 450 miles. The first-generation system deployed two 95-kW fuel cell stacks.
The Xcient was launched in 2020 and began operations in the U.S. in September 2023 through the NorCal Zero Project at the Port of Oakland.
