Hyundai Motor Group will supply Hydrogen Fuel Cell buses (hydrogen buses) to Guangzhou in Guangdong province, China, together with the Chinese commercial vehicle corporations Kaiwo Group.
On the 18th, Hyundai Motor Group said that the 8.5-meter hydrogen bus jointly developed by HTWO Guangzhou, its Chinese Hydrogen Fuel Cell system subsidiary, and Kaiwo Group won the final bid for the Hydrogen Fuel Cell city bus purchase project. In the tender run by Guangzhou State-owned Bus Group, a state-owned bus operator, HTWO Guangzhou and Kaiwo Group received the top comprehensive evaluation.
Guangzhou State-owned Bus Group plans to introduce a total of 50 hydrogen buses through this project. Of these, 25 will be supplied within the year by HTWO Guangzhou and Kaiwo Group and put into actual operation. A Hyundai Motor Group official said, "With the introduction of these hydrogen buses, Guangzhou's public transportation system, which has been centered on electric buses, will quickly shift to an urban eco-friendly transportation infrastructure."
Hyundai Motor Group said it believes the successful bid reflects local recognition of HTWO Guangzhou's Hydrogen Fuel Cell system. It noted that Kaiwo Group's research and development (R&D) and commercial vehicle production experience, along with its market operating capabilities, also contributed to the high evaluation.
The 8.5-meter hydrogen bus is equipped with HTWO Guangzhou's 90 kW (kilowatt) Hydrogen Fuel Cell system. The system, applied to various vehicles such as 4.5-ton logistics trucks, refrigerated trucks, and cleaning vehicles, improves driving performance. With a generation efficiency of 64%, it is higher than conventional internal combustion engines, and it can travel up to 576 km on a five-minute refueling.
An HTWO Guangzhou official said, "Based on the increasingly friendly relations between Korea and China, we will continue to expand research and development and industrial investment in hydrogen technology in China," adding, "We will join hands with more local partners to jointly build a hydrogen industry ecosystem and contribute to China's green development and carbon neutrality goals."