The 20 eco-friendly hydrogen buses that started running last year in the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone – in the city of Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province – recently reached a major milestone, having now travelled 1.5 million kilometers, according to local media reports.
The pollution-minimizing hydrogen buses, developed by Vision Group's Wuhan HydraV Fuel Cell Technology Co, consume an average of 5 kilograms of hydrogen per 100 kilometers per vehicle.
The operating costs are basically the same as that of a conventional bus. Their failure rate has been relatively low with only one case appearing every 200,000 kilometers, on average.
Last year, a fixed hydrogen refueling station funded by Vision Group went into operation in Wuhan, marking the first of its kind in Hubei province.
The hydrogen refueling station occupies an area of 15 mu (1 hectare). The designed daily hydrogen supply capacity is 1,000 kg and the actual use is 500 kg. The filling pressure is 35 Megapascal pressure units or MPa and the expansion space is reserved for the filling pressure of 70 MPa, with a daily filling capacity of 500 kg of hydrogen.
In addition, Vision Group is developing a hydrogen energy industrial park in Wuhan, with construction having started at the end of 2019.
The industrial park, expected to draw an investment of 5 billion yuan ($753 million), will mainly be engaged in the research and development, production and sales of hydrogen fuel cells, engines, stacks, membrane electrodes and other key components -- as well as the construction and operation of hydrogen refueling stations.
On completion, it will work with auto manufacturers to develop, produce and launch various types of hydrogen fuel cells.
