The Nation's First Zero-Emission Hydrogen City Bus Runs in Jeonju

Full-scale Deployment on Route 103 Starting the 30th

Photo by Jeonju City Provided

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hong Jaehee] The eco-friendly hydrogen city bus, which will lead the Green New Deal, will run for the first time in Korea between the Songcheon-dong wholesale market and the nursery in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do.

On the 29th, Jeonju City and Hyundai Motor Company held a delivery ceremony for the first mass-produced hydrogen city bus in the mayor's office, attended by Mayor Kim Seung-su, Lee In-cheol, head of Hyundai Motor's Commercial Vehicle Division, Moon Yong-ho, chairman of the Jeonju City Bus Joint Management Committee, and Kim Byung-soo, CEO of Honam Express.

The bus delivered on this day is the first mass-produced hydrogen city bus manufactured by Hyundai Motor after significantly improving performance and durability through a pilot project last year. It is scheduled to be deployed on route 103, running between Songcheon-dong wholesale market and the nursery, starting from the 30th.

The city and Hyundai Motor previously signed an agreement to replace about 15 aging existing city buses annually with eco-friendly hydrogen city buses, aiming to replace about 80 buses, which account for 20% of the total city buses, by 2024.

In this regard, to resolve the inconvenience of charging hydrogen vehicles such as hydrogen buses, the city plans to complete Jeonju's first hydrogen charging station near the Songcheon-dong bus turnaround area in September and build a second hydrogen charging station in the Wansan-gu area in the second half of next year.

The city expects that operating hydrogen city buses will reduce fine dust emissions and effectively improve air quality, while the low noise and vibration will also increase passenger satisfaction.

Lee In-cheol, head of Hyundai Motor's Commercial Vehicle Division, said, “Starting with supplying hydrogen city buses to Jeonju City, we will expand the supply nationwide to promote the excellent performance, high safety, and eco-friendliness of hydrogen electric buses.”

Mayor Kim Seung-su emphasized, “To respond to rapidly progressing climate change, bold and innovative green policies are necessary. Since Jeonju was the first city in the country to introduce eco-friendly hydrogen buses that emit no pollutants and have air-purifying effects, we will become a leading city driving Korea's Green New Deal and hydrogen economy.”

Meanwhile, one hydrogen bus can purify 4.863 kg of air per kilometer. Assuming it runs 100,000 km annually, it can purify 486,300 kg of air, enough for about 85 adults weighing 64 kg each to breathe clean air for one year.