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World’s First Hydrogen-powered Bus Hits the Road

Hong Kong’s first hydrogen-powered double-decker bus hit the road on Sunday, marking Citybus’ s first operation of zero-emission vehicles.

The bus, running on Route 20, embarked on its first journey at 11 am from Kai Tak and arrived at  Cheung Sha Wan Terminal in around 40 minutes. The services ended at 8 pm.

“The new hydrogen-powered bus has opened a new page of Hong Kong’s transportation development,” said Anson Li, the operations officer of Route 20. 

The bus will operate six to eight trips  per day along Route 20 on the “Waterloo Road Line” through Kowloon City during its initial month, then gradually expanding the services to Routes 20A and 22M.

The bus is equipped with advanced technology that enables it to only emit water without any carbon dioxide emissions.
“The machine performance of the new buses throughout the day is quite stable,” said Anson Li, the operations officer of Route 20.

The bus operated from and refueled at Hong Kong’s first hydrogen refueling station in the West Kowloon Depot. Li said the hydrogen-powered bus can be fully charged in only 10 to 20 minutes, much faster compared to the two to three hours required by an electric bus.  

Over a hundred bus enthusiasts gathered to experience the rides. Among them, Lee Wan, 23, captured the moments of the last bus returning to the Kai Tak Terminal.  

“I came here to experience the differences between new-energy-powered buses and buses fuelled by diesel,” said Wan.

After the ride,  Wan said that the hydrogen bus was  more comfortable, as it ran more smoothly and was quieter.

Signs are set up to instruct passengers to take hydrogen buses at the designated stop.

Citybus spent HK$ 8 million on producing the hydrogen double-decker bus, which emits only water after transforming the fuel into electricity to power the vehicle.

“To me, I think the production costs are too high. It's well worth being rolled out on a large scale if the price can be lowered as the technology improves,” Wan said.

The new hydrogen-powered bus has a maximum capacity of 119 people, six seats more than an electric bus.

Citybus launched the first electric double-decker bus in 2021. The company pledged to operate a complete fleet of zero-emission buses by 2045.

 

 

 

《The Young Reporter》

The Young Reporter (TYR) started as a newspaper in 1969. Today, it is published across multiple media platforms and updated constantly to bring the latest news and analyses to its readers.

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