CHANGWON, April 5 (Korea Bizwire) — The city of Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province said Tuesday it will be adding 40 more hydrogen-powered inter-city and commuting buses to its fleet after being selected for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s pilot project to subsidize the replacement cost of fuel cell systems.
The government plans to provide financial support for the replacement cost of fuel cell systems, a key component of hydrogen buses, to 10 bus companies in Changwon participating in the pilot program.
Accordingly, the quality assurance period of the fuel cell system will be extended from the existing 500,000 kilometers for five years to 900,000 kilometers for nine years.
Given that the significant cost of replacing fuel cell systems has served as an obstacle preventing the introduction of hydrogen buses, the city government expected the government support to facilitate the introduction of hydrogen buses.
At present, a total of 47 hydrogen inter-city buses are operating within the city.
Image Credit: Changwon City Government / photonews@koreabizwire.com
