"Expansion of Hydrogen Charging Stations in Downtown Seoul"… Hyundai Motor Company-Seoul City MOU to Revitalize Hydrogen Economy

[Asia Economy Reporter Su-yeon Woo] Hyundai Motor Company and the Seoul Metropolitan Government have decided to strengthen strategic cooperation to activate the hydrogen economy and transform Seoul into an eco-friendly leading city.

Hyundai Motor announced on the 1st that on the 31st of last month, at the Seoul City Hall, key officials including Hyundai Motor President Gong Young-woon and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon attended and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen mutual cooperation for the promotion of hydrogen electric vehicle distribution.

This enhanced cooperation will cover the entire industrial ecosystem, including not only the expansion of hydrogen electric vehicle production and distribution but also the expansion of charging infrastructure, preparation of activation plans for hydrogen electric vehicles, and broadening citizen awareness of hydrogen energy and hydrogen electric vehicles. Hyundai Motor and Seoul City plan to form and operate a joint committee to specifically carry out the cooperation details.

Kong Young-woon, President of Hyundai Motor Company (left), and Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul (right), are holding a model of the Nexo cutaway vehicle for a commemorative photo after signing an MOU to promote the distribution of hydrogen electric vehicles on the 1st. Photo by Hyundai Motor Company

First, with the signing of the MOU, Seoul City plans to significantly raise its existing goals of distributing more than 4,000 hydrogen electric vehicles and establishing more than 15 hydrogen charging stations by 2022. Furthermore, Hyundai Motor and Seoul City agreed on the urgent need to expand infrastructure for the popularization of hydrogen electric vehicles and decided to increase the number of hydrogen charging stations in urban areas.

Currently, there are only three hydrogen charging stations operating within Seoul city: Yeouido National Assembly, Yangjae, and Sangam. Through this cooperation, it is expected that sites will be secured in downtown Seoul and the establishment of hydrogen charging stations within the city will accelerate.

The expansion of hydrogen electric vehicle distribution will cover the entire transportation sector. The distribution will expand from mainly passenger cars to commercial vehicles and construction machinery equipped with hydrogen fuel cell systems. To this end, Seoul City will improve systems such as increasing purchase subsidies and tax support for passenger hydrogen electric vehicles and hydrogen electric buses, and will promote the deployment of hydrogen electric buses on regular routes this year, following the pilot operation project that ended last year.

For trucks, vehicles used in the public sector such as cleaning vehicles will first be replaced with hydrogen electric vehicles, and then this will be expanded to the private sector. Hyundai Motor will strengthen services such as maintenance and repair systems to support Seoul City's expansion and stable operation of hydrogen electric vehicles in the public sector.

Measures will also be prepared to raise citizens' awareness of hydrogen energy and hydrogen electric vehicles. By expanding opportunities for exhibition and test drives of hydrogen electric vehicles through hydrogen experience centers and related campaigns, understanding of the principles of hydrogen energy will be enhanced, and a hydrogen demonstration village where citizens can experience hydrogen in daily life will be created.

Previously, Seoul City and Hyundai Motor have conducted various programs to increase citizens' understanding of hydrogen energy. In 2017, they established the 'Hydrogen Electric House,' a future experience space for hydrogen electric vehicles, at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul, offering programs such as electricity supply experience using hydrogen electric vehicles and understanding the operating principles of hydrogen electric vehicles. On Earth Day last April, to easily convey the principles of hydrogen energy, they used electricity generated from the fuel cell system of the Nexo to hold a media facade event titled 'Future Lit by Hydrogen' on the outer wall of the former Seoul City Hall (now Seoul Library).

A Hyundai Motor official said, "This strategic cooperation with Seoul City was based on a consensus that hydrogen and hydrogen electric vehicles can be solutions to climate change and future energy transition," adding, "We will do our best to actively promote cooperative projects for realizing a hydrogen society."