Busan’s 2nd hydrogen charging station opens

Hyundai Motor’s hydrogen fuel-cell electric bus is parked at the new hydrogen charging station established in the city on Friday. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Hyundai Motor set up a hydrogen charging station in Busan and started operations on Friday.

The charging station was built as the result of a memorandum of understanding the company inked in September last year with the Busan city government to increase the infrastructure for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, the company said.

The new station was built based on the existing compressed natural gas (CNG) station in Busan, so drivers can charge both CNG and hydrogen at the station.

According to Hyundai, the new station has a 25-kilogram-per-hour hydrogen charging capacity, or the capacity to fully charge more than five hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles per hour. It will operate every day of the year from 8 a.m. through 10 p.m., allowing about 70 cars to be charged per day.

With the new station located in Sasang District in Busan, the city now has two hydrogen fueling stations along with the one built in May in the city’s Gangseo District.

Busan plans to operate a total of 19 hydrogen fueling stations, including four stations dedicated to charging hydrogen fuel-cell buses, by 2022.

Hyundai Motor also delivered one hydrogen-powered bus to Busan on Friday.

The delivery was made under the government’s plan to operate 35 hydrogen buses in seven regions in the country including Seoul, Busan and Gwangju.

Hyundai will supply five hydrogen buses to Busan by October. The automaker said its new bus can drive roughly 450 kilometers (280 miles) on a single charge. The buses will be part of Busan’s regular intra-city bus service.

By 2022, Busan plans to operate some 100 hydrogen buses with expanded hydrogen infrastructure to be set up by then.

Hyundai, which has been leading the growth of the hydrogen economy in Korea, is speeding up in expanding hydrogen infrastructure nationwide.

Apart from the Busan station, it’ll set up three additional hydrogen fueling stations in the country within this year including the one in construction inside the grounds of the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul. Construction began in May and was expected to be done by the end of August, but Hyundai said it will need more time.

BY KIM JEE-HEE [kim.jeehee@joongang.co.kr]