Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- An expensive hydrogen fuel cell city bus made its debut in Seoul as part of South Korea's all-out campaign to popularize hydrogen as an alternative clean energy despite lingering public worries about safety and high operating costs.

The bus produced by Hyundai Motor will run on a fixed route from a western district to the Seoul city hall. It was South Korea's second hydrogen bus. The first one appeared on October 22 in the southeastern industrial city of Ulsan.

With a full single charge that requires 15 minutes, the bus can run about 317km. Its maximum speed is 92 km per hour. Hyundai will produce an upgraded version in 2020. A total of 30 hydrogen buses will be put into operation in six cities next year, including seven in Seoul.

The price of a hydrogen bus is still high at more than 830 million won ($735,816), but the government is adamant to speed up the use of hydrogen fuel cells for an urban transport system.

"The hydrogen bus running in downtown Seoul will be cleaner, safer, and more comfortable for people to travel than any public transport," Hyundai Motor President Chung Jin-haeng said, adding the bus would contribute to bringing in an era of fuel cell vehicles.

In a ceremony on Wednesday, three government bodies, eight provincial governments and Hyundai signed a memorandum of understanding. The government vowed to increase the number of hydrogen public buses to 1,000 by 2022 and build hundreds of charging stations in urban areas.

"The actual road operation of the hydrogen bus will be an opportunity to show the world's hydrogen the technology of our hydrogen buses," Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Sung Yun-mo said, calling for bold regulatory innovations.

On Wednesday, Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS), Hyundai and 13 firms formed a special purpose company to build hydrogen fuel stations with an investment of 135 billion won. Seoul will increase the number of charging stations from two to six by 2021. One will use compressed natural gas (CNG) to produce stable hydrogen at cheaper prices than existing facilities.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles use fuel cells which produce heat, electricity and water through a thermochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Because of its eco-friendly characteristics, fuel cells are considered the next-generation renewable power source. Still, hydrogen fuel faces an obstacle due to the lack of charging stations in urban areas. South Korean consumers are also worried about their safety.

Vancouver, the southwestern port city of Canada, brought in a fleet of hydrogen buses in 2010, but service came to a halt five years later due to the lack of charging stations and high operating costs.