Buses of the future pick up 1st passengers
Six hydrogen fuel cell buses started running route No. 114 in Jiading District yesterday, the first fuel cell buses in the city.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are zero-emission. The yellow and white buses, developed by local car makers SAIC Motor and Sunwin, carry 21 kilograms of hydrogen, have a range of 560 kilometers and emit nothing but water. Conventional electric buses have a range of 200 kilometers and require six hours for charging. It only takes a few minutes to refill with hydrogen.
The floors of the new buses are much lower than conventional buses and considered barrier-free.
Fuel cell buses are not cheap. There is a lack of refueling stations, and hydrogen is not the most inexpensive of fuels.
The city has set goals for fuel cell vehicles. By 2020, it plans to have built five to 10 hydrogen stations and two demonstration sites with some 3,000 fuel cell vehicles running in the city. By 2025, there will be 50 hydrogen stations and no less than 30,000 fuel cell vehicles.
A worker is refueling a fuel cell bus with hydrogen.
