Hydrogen Mobility Solutions and Industrial Applications by Wisdom Motor
Presentation by Mr. Ivan Lim, Senior Vice President, Wisdom Motor presented at the Seminar on United Hydrogen - Bringing Hydrogen into the Industrialization Process in Vietnam and ASEAN
The global transportation sector is undergoing a pivotal transformation as decarbonization becomes a pressing priority for governments and businesses worldwide. Commercial vehicles, which account for a significant share of urban emissions, have historically lagged behind passenger vehicles in adopting new energy solutions. Wisdom Motor, a leading designer and manufacturer of zero-emission commercial vehicles, is addressing this gap by offering tailored hydrogen and battery-electric mobility solutions designed to help businesses simultaneously reduce operating costs and emissions.
Founded by a team of industry veterans with more than 30 years of collaboration experience and a track record of exporting over 20,000 commercial vehicles worldwide prior to its establishment, Wisdom Motor has built a reputation for combining technical expertise with a deep understanding of customer needs. The company’s product portfolio spans three key categories: buses and coaches, trucks and logistics vans, and specialized vehicles. Since its founding, Wisdom has successfully delivered over 500 vehicles to customers across 22 countries and regions, including the UK, Australia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, the UAE, Israel, and Denmark — a testament to its global capabilities and operational reliability.
A cornerstone of Wisdom Motor’s strategy is its joint development agreement with Ballard Power Systems, the world’s leading supplier of fuel cells for heavy-duty applications. This collaboration enables Wisdom to access advanced fuel cell know-how and elevate its design, engineering, integration, and production capabilities to world-class standards. For commercial vehicles — where durability, uptime, and cost efficiency are critical — this partnership strengthens Wisdom’s ability to deliver competitive fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) solutions that meet stringent operational demands.
The presentation highlights a key insight: the energy transition for commercial vehicles is far from complete. Compared with battery electric vehicles (BEVs), FCEVs offer significant advantages for applications requiring long range (>400 km), rapid refueling (8–10 minutes versus over 200 minutes for BEVs), and heavy payload capacity. For long-haul trucks, intercity buses, and industrial fleets that operate with minimal downtime, hydrogen technology can offer a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) in the long term, particularly as hydrogen refueling infrastructure scales up.
Wisdom Motor positions itself as a “global gateway to zero-emission commercial vehicles,” with a focus on tailor-made solutions rather than one-size-fits-all products. This customer-centric approach goes beyond simply supplying vehicles — it delivers integrated solutions that allow fleet operators to transition toward net-zero operations while maintaining profitability.
From a strategic perspective, businesses in Vietnam and ASEAN can draw three key lessons from Wisdom Motor’s model: (1) act early to capitalize on the transition to clean mobility before emissions regulations become more stringent; (2) collaborate with technology leaders like Wisdom and Ballard to reduce technology risk and accelerate deployment; and (3) invest in hydrogen infrastructure and ecosystem development to stay ahead of regional logistics and transport demand shifts. This is not merely a technology decision but a forward-looking business strategy to secure competitiveness in a low-carbon economy.
Hydrogen is no longer science fiction. With declining production costs, government incentives, and growing private-sector investment, it is quickly becoming a viable solution for decarbonizing transportation, logistics, and industrial applications. Every stakeholder — from fleet operators to policymakers — plays a role in making this transition a reality.
Author:
Mr. Ivan Lim – Senior Vice President, Wisdom Motor
