The huge order shows Hyundai is a leader in hydrogen fuel-cell buses
In international news, Hyundai Motor is stepping up to the plate in South Korea to fulfil a historic hydrogen fuel-cell bus order.
Sustainable Bus and BusWorld have reported that by 2026, South Korean capital Seoul wants to replace 1,300 internal combustion buses with brand new hydrogen fuel-cell models.
South Korean company Hyundai Motor has been tasked with fulfilling the mammoth order.
Since 2020, Hyundai has been the hydrogen bus supplier for Seoul, with this latest order expanding its influence in the fuel-cell space.
The South Korean capital has a history of sustainable buses. In 2011, Seoul converted its 7,400 city buses to natural gas, with 830 of these since being replaced by electric buses, with a further 27 now being hydrogen fuel-cell models.
Hyundai’s order will help Seoul take all diesel vehicles off the road in public transport fleets before 2025, with 1,000 of the 1,300 hydrogen buses on order being used for city routes while 300 will be airport shuttles.
Hyundai Motor CEO Chang Jae-hoon told Sustainable Bus that by 2030, all 451 of the city’s shuttles is set to be replaced with fuel-cell electric buses.
“Hyundai will continue to develop commercial hydrogen vehicles such as buses and trucks to introduce different portfolios to the market,” he says.