Zibo opens 11 hydrogen-fueled bus routes with 100 buses. [Photo/zbnews.net]
Zibo city – located in East China's Shandong province – is rapidly moving to open 20 hydrogen fueling stations and 4,000 hydrogen-fueled vehicles under its (2022-30) plan unveiled on Aug 24.
The metropolis also aims to increase the output value of its hydrogen industry to 50 billion yuan ($7.30 billion) by 2030.
By then, the city is projected to replace 140,000 metric tons of gasoline and diesel a year and reduce its carbon emissions by 450,000 tons per year.
With its strong industrial foundations, the city currently has an annual surplus of 88,000 tons of low-cost hydrogen per year, which can meet annual hydrogen demand for 22,000 to 29,000 vehicles installed with hydrogen fuel cells.
The city has opened 11 hydrogen-fueled bus routes with 100 buses and five hydrogen fueling stations for its hydrogen-fueled buses. Some 50 hydrogen cell-refrigerated vehicles made in Zibo have also started operating.
What's more, over 20 Zibo-based enterprises have established a comprehensive hydrogen cell industry supply chain covering fuel cell membranes, reactors, engines and completed vehicles.
To achieve breakthroughs in the hydrogen energy industry, Zibo plans to guide its industrial resources sector to grow manufacturing clusters and develop corresponding blocks.
Based on existing hydrogen resources, plans are for four industrial bases. These will supply the hydrogen production sector, the hydrogen equipment manufacturing sector, the hydrogen cell commercial vehicles industry and the key materials and core components sector.
Enterprises in these four bases are projected to make major advances. Plans are for them to work with universities to promote new hydrogen production technologies and attract more enterprises that focus on fuel cell vehicles and key components, to manufacture a complete hydrogen cell vehicles supply chain.
Moving forward, plans are for Zibo to leverage its potential in hydrogen production and hydrogen fuel cell production and attract more elements to develop an eco-friendly hydrogen energy industry.
