Era of Hydrogen-powered Bus Opens
A new hydrogen-powered electric bus produced by Hyundai Motor was put into service in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, on June 5.
The new bus was unveiled at a ceremony marking the 24th Environment Day at the Changwon Convention Center. In particular, President Moon Jae-in took part in a test operation of the hydrogen bus.
Hyundai Motor will deliver the new buses to seven local governments this year, starting with Changwon City.
Earlier in November last year, the central government signed an MOU with local governments and Hyundai Motor to popularize hydrogen electric buses. Hyundai Motor will deliver five hydrogen electric buses to Changwon City within this month.
The new hydrogen-electric bus is equipped with a fuel cell system that significantly improves performance and durability compared to past models. It can travel 13.5 km per 1 kg of hydrogen, and travel about 450 km on one single charge. The bus can run up to 92 km/h and accommodate up to 45 passengers.
Hyundai Motor plans to supply more than 300 hydrogen buses every year starting next year, as some local governments have expanded the operation of hydrogen buses.
According to the government’s road map to rev up the hydrogen economy, 86 hydrogen filling stations will be built nationwide this year. First of all, a filling station opened at Anseong and Yeosu Service Stations on highways in May. A hydrogen filling station will be built at the National Assembly in August as well. Furthermore, the government plans to expand the number of hydrogen filling stations to 310 by 2022 and to 1,200 by 2040.
In particular, Hyundai Motor set up a joint venture with H2 Energy (H2E), a Swiss hydrogen energy company, to export a total of 1,600 hydrogen-powered large lorries from this year to 2025.