Hyundai starts trials of hydrogen buses in Germany

Hyundai is set to kickstart trials of its hydrogen-powered buses in Germany in the coming weeks.

Called the Elec City Fuel Cell bus, it’ll be put into operation over existing routes in Munich while carrying passengers.

Capable of travelling more than 310 miles on a single fill-up of hydrogen, the buses have already been commercially available in Korea since 2019 and, in total, 108 of them have been put into operation.

“With our leading fuel cell technology, Hyundai Motor is demonstrating how mass-produced Elec City Fuel Cell buses can help reduce CO2 emissions while providing clean mobility,” said Martin Zeilinger, executive vice president and head of CV Development Tech Unit. “Running these in-service trials will help us further develop our vehicles to meet European customer requirements.”

The bus is fitted with a 180kW fuel hydrogen fuel cell system which combines two 90kW hydrogen fuel cells and five hydrogen tanks capable of storing a total of 34kg of hydrogen.

During their use in Korea, the buses have reduced carbon emissions by an estimated 7,700 tonnes to date compared with traditional diesel or petrol-powered buses. On a yearly basis, the hydrogen-powered buses that are currently in operation are expected to reduce carbon emissions equivalent to the amount of CO2 filtered by 1,500 hectares of forest.

The trials will be used to gather driver and passenger feedback as a way of determining whether hydrogen-powered buses are viable for commercial transportation.