In the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WEDZ), hydrogen fuel cell buses are operating with batteries indigenously developed by Wuhan Troowin Power System Technology Co – an expert in the research and manufacture of core parts, stacks and systems for fuel cells.
It is still a young firm. Doctor Li Xiao graduated in 2011 and eventually left a famous fuel cell giant and returned to Wuhan. Assisted financially by several of his friends, he founded Troowin in a 40-square-meter office room and formed his own research team, which in 2021 developed core technologies for fuel cell stacks.
"It is only half way done in the hydrogen energy supply when mastering the technology. Without adequate application scenarios and large-scale production, an enterprise cannot deal with the fierce low-cost competition," said Chen Tong, a senior official at the firm.
But along with the national shift to hydrogen energy and the improvement of relevant policies and supporting equipment, hydrogen fuel cells are now more likely to achieve mass applications in common transport tools, giving China an opportunity to stand out in the global arena.
"Hydrogen energy fuel cell buses can currently travel about 500 kilometers and it takes less than 20 minutes to refill the hydrogen. The bus is more eco-friendly than traditional buses in that it only consumes hydrogen and emits water," Chen added.
To date, Troowin has applied for 177 patents, with 106 of them being authorized. Among them, 20 are internationally cutting-edge or proprietary patents, making the firm one of only a few domestic enterprises to possess core technologies in hydrogen energy fuel cells.
