Hydrogen-powered buses will account for 25% of the nation’s intercity buses by 2030 to expand their use nationwide. (Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Government)
By Yoon Sojung
One in four intercity buses nationwide by 2030 is forecast to run on hydrogen.
The Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Sept. 11 said a business briefing that day at a Seoul hotel will announce higher supply of hydrogen-powered buses to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in transportation.
The session will release the government’s plan to distribute and support such buses, plans to replace intercity buses with those running on hydrogen, specifications of hydrogen buses made by Hyundai Motor and HyAxiom Motors, status of the construction of filling stations by SK E&S and Kohygen and their plans for commercial vehicles powered by hydrogen.
Hydrogen buses are known to be zero-emission vehicles that give off no air pollutants, with a longer driving range of about 500 km or more and a shorter charging time than electric buses, which are also zero-emission. This makes hydrogen buses more suitable as intercity buses with relatively longer driving ranges.
The conversion of intercity buses to hydrogen-fueled models will help reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, the Ministry of Environment said.
As of Aug. 31, 1,185 hydrogen-fueled buses were supplied nationwide including some 40 operating on intercity bus routes in the Seoul metropolitan area. The goal is to raise the number of such vehicles to 21,200 by 2030 under the government’s 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution target of reducing greenhouse gases.
arete@korea.kr
