Vision AI-powered auto-charging robot earns grand prize

NextEnergy, Donghwa Entech, Hyundai Rotem take excellence awards

A demonstration of Hyundai Motor's hydrogen fuel cell vehicle automatic charging robot (ACR-H) at WHE 2026. [Provided by the Korea Automotive Journalists Association]
A demonstration of Hyundai Motor's hydrogen fuel cell vehicle automatic charging robot (ACR-H) at WHE 2026. [Provided by the Korea Automotive Journalists Association]

The Korea Automotive Journalists Association announced Thursday the results of the WHE 2026 H2 Best Product Media Awards, held jointly with the World Hydrogen Expo organizing committee. Hyundai Motor took the top Best Pick prize for its hydrogen fuel cell vehicle automatic charging robot, the ACR-H, while NextEnergy, Donghwa Entech and Hyundai Rotem each received an Excellent Pick award.

Journalists from association member outlets visited WHE 2026, held at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, from Friday through Sunday, where they evaluated participating companies' technologies and products firsthand. Votes were cast based on audience response, market potential and innovation, with the top-scoring company receiving the grand prize and the next three companies earning excellence awards.

The ACR-H automates hydrogen mobility charging through precision robotics and advanced vision AI. The robot is built with explosion-proof features and enhanced environmental resistance suited to hydrogen station environments. At the exhibition, it demonstrated the full charging sequence — independently identifying a vehicle's charging port, opening the protective cap and connecting the nozzle. The technology also won an excellence award in the application category at the H2 Innovation Awards, co-organized by the WHE committee and the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT).

NextEnergy won both the media award's excellence prize and the grand prize at the H2 Innovation Awards for its infrared wireless communication system for hydrogen charging. The integrated system transmits pressure, temperature and state-of-charge data from hydrogen vehicle tanks to charging stations via contactless infrared technology, enabling safe and precise charging control. The company said it developed the entire product in-house, establishing a domestic foundation for a key hydrogen-charging communication device that had previously relied on foreign products.

Donghwa Entech received the media award excellence prize as well as the excellence award in the storage and transport category at the H2 Innovation Awards. The company unveiled the Ionic Hydrogen Compressor HexKomp, which employs a proprietary ionic pressurization sealing technology and a low-speed compression method, featuring a plunger-type reciprocating structure without piston rings. The company said the sealing design blocks hydrogen leakage and minimizes blowby gas, while a check valve installed inside the cylinder cover flange improves volumetric efficiency.

Hyundai Rotem earned an excellence award for its 3-megawatt hydrogen fuel cell locomotive, which has been under development since 2024 as a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport research and development project running through 2028, aimed at replacing aging diesel-electric locomotives. Hyundai Rotem plans to use the locomotive's large-capacity hydrogen hybrid power system and domestically developed electronic components to establish a foothold in both domestic and overseas markets. Because the locomotive operates on an independent power source requiring no external power supply infrastructure, the company said it expects to reduce infrastructure construction and maintenance costs when introduced on non-electrified sections and new rail lines.

"At this year's event, we saw the latest hydrogen technologies developed by our industry draw significant attention and open new commercialization opportunities," the WHE organizing committee said. "Going forward, the committee will continue to identify hydrogen companies with outstanding technological capabilities through various awards programs, spotlight innovative technologies and spare no effort in supporting their practical commercialization."


eyre@heraldcorp.com