Incheon Hydrogen Cars 2,300 Units, Charging Station Gap by District... "Hydrogen Supply System Must Be Established"

361 Hydrogen Cars in Yeonsugu, Only 1 Charging Station
Assemblyman Heo Jongsik "Need to Expand Charging Stations and Strengthen Supply Stability"

Six years after hydrogen vehicles were introduced in Incheon, the number has surpassed 2,000, highlighting the need to strengthen the hydrogen supply system, including resolving the gap in charging stations by district.

According to data on the distribution status of hydrogen vehicles received from Incheon City by Heo Jong-sik, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Incheon Dong-gu Michuhol-gu Gap), 214 hydrogen vehicles were first introduced in 2019, and this year the number exceeded 2,000, with 2,320 currently in operation as of last month.

The nation's first private-sector hydrogen high-floor bus (commuter bus) has been introduced and is operating in Incheon.
[Photo by Incheon City]

Among these, passenger cars are the most numerous with 1,984 units, followed by 324 buses, 6 trucks, and 6 garbage trucks. Regarding buses, there are 179 city buses, 85 intercity buses, 23 shuttle buses within Incheon Airport, and 37 charter buses in operation.

While the number of passenger cars has been declining after 610 units were introduced in 2022 alone, buses showed an increasing trend with 124 units introduced last year. This statistic confirms that hydrogen vehicles have begun to be actively utilized not only as private cars but also in public transportation.

Looking at the status of hydrogen vehicles by district in Incheon, Seo-gu has the highest number with 549 vehicles, followed by Yeonsu-gu with 361, Namdong-gu with 347, Jung-gu with 328, Gyeyang-gu with 304, Bupyeong-gu with 194, Michuhol-gu with 181, Dong-gu with 34, and Ganghwa and Ongjin counties with 22 vehicles.

Meanwhile, as hydrogen vehicles increase every year, there are calls to resolve the gap in hydrogen charging stations by district.

In Seo-gu, which has the most hydrogen vehicles at 549, six charging stations (11 chargers) have been established from 2021 to this year. In contrast, Yeonsu-gu, with 361 hydrogen vehicles, has only one charging station. Gyeyang-gu and Bupyeong-gu, which have 304 and 194 vehicles respectively, do not have any charging stations.

Democratic Party of Korea Representative Heo Jong-sik

Hydrogen supply is also becoming an issue. At the end of each year, hydrogen production decreases due to safety inspections at major hydrogen supply plants in the metropolitan area, such as those in Seosan, Dangjin, and Pyeongtaek. Although there is surplus hydrogen in places like Ulsan and Yeosu, the office of Representative Heo explained that some charging operators either give up supply due to high transportation costs or increase supply prices.

In fact, from January to March this year, hydrogen city buses reduced their operation, causing the dispatch interval to double and resulting in operational disruptions.

The government announced plans to revitalize the hydrogen-related industrial ecosystem by designating November 2 as "Hydrogen Day" as a legal holiday earlier this year and opening a clean hydrogen power generation bidding market.

Representative Heo emphasized, "Hydrogen vehicles are key to eco-friendly future mobility, but the infrastructure is insufficient. It is necessary to make multifaceted efforts across ministries to expand hydrogen charging stations, strengthen stable hydrogen supply, and promote the growth of hydrogen-related industries."

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