Ulsan, an industrial city on the southern coast, now has the first hydrogen fueling station in the nation for big cargo vehicles.

The hydrogen fueling station can charge 16 passenger cars per hour or 40 heavy trucks per day with its 80 kilos per hour charging capacity.

SK Energy spent 1.3 billion won ($5 million) of the 7 billion won ($ 5.3 million) combined investment with the Korean government and Ulsan city to construct a 1.5-kilometer underground pipe that connects the charging station and the hydrogen plant.

The station is close to major thoroughfares used by truck drivers, being only 3 kilometres from Cheongnyang Interchange and 7 kilometres from Ulsan Interchange.

The company claimed that because EV batteries do not have enough energy density, most large diesel-powered trucks have not made much progress towards electrification.

The business will offer the hydrogen charging service gratis for 10 automobiles each day till Friday as a promotional event.

SK Energy said last year that it would build up fuel cell and EV chargers with renewable energy providers in an effort to expand its green energy business. It promised in January to construct an energy facility that can generate heat, electricity, and hydrogen.