HONG KONG: Hong Kong's first hydrogen-powered double-decker bus will hit the streets in a month's time, with owner Citybus saying the vehicle had just started a round of road tests without passengers.
"From [Sunday], the hydrogen bus will begin non-passenger road testing," said Kenny So, the public transport firm's general manager for engineering.
"We will deploy the hydrogen bus to our Kai Tak operating area, where our hydrogen bus will be providing services to customers in the initial stage.
"We look forward to creating the opportunity for the public to experience this brand-new hydrogen vehicle within a month, marking a major milestone in the new chapter of the hydrogen era in Hong Kong."
The firm said the bus, which generated zero roadside emissions, had already undergone a full 200-kilometre test at the company's West Kowloon depot and completed multiple refuelling operations at the city's first hydrogen refill station.
The company has also rolled out a training programme for engineers and bus captains to ensure the safe operation of both the vehicle and refuelling station, with the first batch of candidates having already completed the course.
At the end of 2023, Citybus obtained permission from the Transport Department to use the hydrogen-powered bus for transport services and finished building the refuelling station - a year after the company publicly unveiled the vehicle.
The firm said such buses were more environmentally friendly than their diesel-powered counterparts, as hydrogen fuel was transformed into electricity through chemical reactions and only emitted water in the process.
According to the company, the refuelling process takes about 10 minutes and allows the bus to travel up to 400 kilometres.
Citybus said it planned to launch no fewer than five of the zero-emission buses and establish a second hydrogen refuelling station at its Hong Kong Island Chong Fu Depot next year.
The firm's has said it aims to operate a full fleet of zero-emission buses by 2045, which would put the company five years ahead of the government's target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Last October, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu devoted part of his annual policy address to calling for the development of hydrogen fuel infrastructure in Hong Kong, especially among commercial and heavy goods carriers.
The use of zero-emission vehicles in both fields has yet to take off, with many current models currently not meeting the necessary endurance and driving requirements.
Lee said the government would begin devising a policy in the first half of this year, with preparatory work for legislative amendments covering the production, storage, transport and application of hydrogen fuel to be conducted in the first quarter of 2025.
According to official figures, transport accounts for one-fifth of the city's carbon emissions.
Under the 2023-24 budget, HK$200 million (917 million baht) was set aside to support trial runs for double-decker buses and heavy vehicles powered using hydrogen fuel cells.