The hydrogen-powered vehicle is to be released in 2025, its prototype was unveiled by Morocco’s King Mohammed VI in a ceremony at the Royal Palace in Rabat.
According to officials HUV is a response to the rising global demand for sustainable cars.
Morocco’s MAP news agency reported that the new car, dubbed HUV (Hydrogen Utility Vehicle) was developed by the first 100% Moroccan-owned car company Neo Motors and the Turin-based car company NamX.
Neo Motors CEO Nassim Belkhayat and NamX President Faouzi Annajah presented the project. Morocco is already Africa’s largest car manufacturer. In2022, the government promised to double its electric car production capacity within two years.
Unlike electric vehicles, which take hours to charge, hydrogen vehicles can be refuelled in just a few minutes and also tend to be slightly more environmentally friendly.
The MAP agency reported that Neo Motors set up an industrial factory in Ain Aouda, just south of the capital, to manufacture vehicles for the local market and for export. The factory is projected to produce 27,000 cars a year and the project is expected to cost $15.5 million and create 580 jobs.
The HUV was approved by Morocco’s National Agency for Road Safety in February. The company plans to inaugurate the industrial factory in June this year.
