Gwangju City Operates 6 Hydrogen City Buses on 6 Routes

On the morning of the 21st, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, attended the hydrogen low-floor bus test ride ceremony held at the hydrogen charging station in Byeokjin-dong, Seo-gu, and boarded the hydrogen bus traveling to City Hall, engaging in conversations with citizens. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 21st that it held a hydrogen bus test ride ceremony at Byeokjin Hydrogen Charging Station, attended by about 10 people including Mayor Lee Yong-seop, Gwangju City Council Chairman Kim Yong-jip, Seo-gu District Mayor Seo Dae-seok, and Gwangju Metropolitan City Bus Transport Association Chairman Lim Dong-chun.

The test ride ceremony proceeded in the order of trial charging the hydrogen bus at Byeokjin Hydrogen Charging Station and riding it to Gwangju City Hall.

Mayor Lee Yong-seop, who rode the hydrogen bus Circulation 01 to City Hall, talked with citizens using city buses on topics such as ▲realizing an energy self-sufficient city ▲promoting public transportation use ▲overcoming COVID-19.

The hydrogen bus is an eco-friendly transportation means that can contribute to responding to climate change and creating a pleasant air environment free of fine dust. It operates by using electricity generated from the reaction of oxygen and hydrogen after drawing air containing fine dust into the vehicle.

Since being selected as a pilot city for the Ministry of Environment's hydrogen bus project in November 2018, Gwangju has continuously promoted the establishment of charging infrastructure and recently started operating the Byeokjin Hydrogen Charging Station, which can charge city buses.

The hydrogen bus operation routes were set to six lines based on accessibility to charging stations and the principle of operating various routes. One bus operates on each of the following: Circulation 01 (Seha-dong~Seha-dong), Songjeong 19 (Dosan-dong~Jangdeung-dong), Ilgok 28 (Maewol-dong~Salesio High School), Geumho 36 (Jangdeung-dong~Seogwangju Station), Geumho 46 (National Gwangju Science Museum~Seogwangju Station), and Unlim 51 (Cheomdan~Jeungsimsa).

Going forward, Gwangju plans to operate Wolchul and Jangdeung charging stations capable of bus charging in 2021, establish a hub-type hydrogen production base in 2022 to stabilize hydrogen supply, and expand the introduction of hydrogen city buses.

Mayor Lee Yong-seop said, “The operation of hydrogen buses is a Gwangju-type Green New Deal policy that citizens can directly experience,” and added, “We will do our best to expand Green New Deal policies in daily life, such as bicycle policies and water circulation policies.”

Meanwhile, Gwangju currently operates 43 electric and hydrogen buses, including six hydrogen buses.

The annual air purification capacity per hydrogen bus is 420,000 kg of air, which is the amount of clean air that about 86 adults can breathe for one year. Also, hydrogen buses show an energy efficiency of over 80%, which is far superior to the 40% of gasoline or diesel fuel, and can run up to 450 km on a single 30 kg charge.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.