Hyundai Motor to Support Expansion of Hydrogen Buses on Metropolitan Routes in Seoul Area

On November 7, Hyundai Motor Company signed a “Business Agreement to Expand the Introduction of Hydrogen Buses on Metropolitan Routes in the Seoul Metropolitan Area” with the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, K1 Mobility Group (hereinafter referred to as K1 Mobility), Hydrogen Energy Network Hynet, and the Korea Automobile Environmental Association at UX Studio Seoul in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

The signing ceremony was attended by Kim Seungchan, Executive Vice President and Head of Domestic Sales at Hyundai Motor, Shin Seungkyu, Executive Vice President in charge of Energy & Hydrogen Policy at Hyundai Motor, Seo Youngtae, Director General of Green Transition Policy at the Ministry of Climate, Oh Jungmin, Executive Vice President of K1 Mobility, Song Seongho, CEO of Hynet, and Jeong Jongsun, President of the Korea Automobile Environmental Association, among other key stakeholders.

Hyundai Motor Group

Through this collaboration, Hyundai Motor plans to actively cooperate with major domestic transportation companies and related organizations to promote decarbonization in the transportation sector. The goal is to convert a total of 300 vehicles on K1 Mobility’s metropolitan routes in the Seoul area to hydrogen buses by 2030.

The Ministry of Climate, Hynet, and the Korea Automobile Environmental Association will also participate as parties to the agreement to support the expansion of hydrogen infrastructure. In addition, they agreed to work together to achieve the “2nd Metropolitan Area Wide-Area Transportation Master Plan (2021-2040)” of the Metropolitan Transport Commission under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which aims to operate 25% of all metropolitan buses as hydrogen buses by 2030.

Based on this agreement, Hyundai Motor will supply Universe hydrogen electric buses to K1 Mobility in a timely manner and provide specialized maintenance training for hydrogen buses to support the smooth operation of hydrogen buses by transportation companies. The Universe hydrogen electric bus is a high-speed, large-sized bus capable of traveling up to 960.4 km on a single charge. Compared to electric buses, it has a shorter charging time and a longer driving range, making it suitable for metropolitan routes.

K1 Mobility will introduce these buses first on its currently operated metropolitan routes in the Seoul area and gradually expand the number of hydrogen buses in operation. The Ministry of Climate will provide administrative and financial support for the supply of hydrogen buses and the construction of hydrogen charging stations, while Hynet, together with the Korea Automobile Environmental Association, will promote the construction of new hydrogen charging stations at key metropolitan route hubs.

Based on this business agreement, Hyundai Motor is expected to contribute to achieving the “2030 National Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target (NDC),” which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector by up to 37.8% compared to 2018 levels by 2030.

A Hyundai Motor representative stated, “We have taken the lead in collaborating with major domestic transportation companies and government ministries to promote the adoption of hydrogen buses on metropolitan routes in the Seoul area. In particular, this business agreement is even more meaningful as it also includes cooperation necessary for expanding hydrogen infrastructure, such as the construction of hydrogen charging stations.”