Korean Hydrogen Bus Adoption Emerging To Block Low-Priced Electric Buses From China
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on BusinessKorea.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Major Korean business groups such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, and POSCO are expanding the introduction of hydrogen buses. They are more efficient than electric buses, and can run 635 kilometers on a single charge, making them suitable for long-distance commuting. Expanding hydrogen mobility, including buses, is considered the first step in building an entire hydrogen ecosystem.
SK Group is one of the most active companies in expanding hydrogen buses. According to SK Group on May 26, SK siltron has decided to replace its commuter buses for employees of its Gumi plant in North Gyeongsang Province with hydrogen buses. Additional deployments are under consideration after a pilot run in the first half of the year. In early May, SK hynix introduced three of the Universe model, Hyundai’s hydrogen bus for commuting. SK E&S recently completed the world’s largest liquefied hydrogen plant in Incheon and plans to soon expand its hydrogen refueling stations nationwide to 20.
The Korean bus seem to have developed a strategy to protect themselves from the Chinese.
I have a few thoughts.
Korea And HiiROC
Hyundai and Kia have joined Centrica in taking stakes in Hull-based startup HiiROC, which I wrote about in Meet HiiROC, The Startup Making Low-Cost Hydrogen Free From Emissions.
London’s Future Bus Fleet
There are rumours on the Internet that Sadiq Khan, will replace all London’s buses with new Chinese buses.
How will I get around, as I don’t ride in anything that was made in China?
Conclusion
We live in interesting times.
Wrightbus Hydrogen Coach Planned For 2026
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in Bus&Coach Buyer.
This is the sub-heading.
Wrightbus‘ planned hydrogen coach is expected to be in production by 2026.
These are the first three paragraphs.
Jean-Marc Gales, Wrightbus CEO, told B&CB that a prototype model intended to demonstrate the powertrain is expected towards the end of the year.
Jean-Marc said: “The concept is ready, the predevelopment work has been done, so we are confident we can launch it in 2026.”
He says the vehicle is aimed at operators that do long distance coach journeys. “Hydrogen coaches can do up to 1,000km range and in five to ten years we will see a much higher proportion of hydrogen coaches than electrical,” he said.
Jean-Marc Gales also said this about the design challenge.
Jean-Marc said: “If you build a hydrogen coach, it’s a technical tour de force. Coach operators require six to ten cubic metres of luggage space. You need at least 50 to 60 seats and disability access and enough packaging space to put the tanks and the hydrogen cooling system and the fuel cells in. But we can do it, we have the technical expertise with fuel cells; we have the best engineers on the market for fuel cell buses. We have millions of miles with electrical and fuel cell vehicles in service since we launched them.
I haven’t ever used coaches much, but in the UK, there are some well-established long-distance markets.
These are some typical driving distances.
- Plymouth and Sunderland – 334 miles – 537 km.
- Brighton and Liverpool – 216 miles – 347 km.
- London and Edinburgh – 332 miles – 534 km.
- London and Paris – 213 miles – 343 km.
- London and Gdansk – 804 miles – 1294 km.
Note.
- Away football and fans of other sports use coaches and a 1,000 km range would certainly be needed to get Plymouth supporters to all away matches and back.
- The London and Scottish Market has been strong all my life.
- London and Gdansk would be an interesting trip in a coach. If you need one, look for Sinbad Coaches.
I certainly believe that Jean-Marc Gales and Wrightbus, are developing the technology for a worthwhile market.
The Anonymous Widower 