Seoul streets to have 1,300 hydrogen buses by 2026

There will be 1,300 hydrogen buses servicing Seoul by 2026.

From left, SK E&S CEO Choo Hyeong-wook, Han Wha-jin, minister of environment, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Hyundai Motor CEO Chang Jae-hoon, and Tmap Mobility CEO Lee Jong-ho pose for a photo with Hyundai's hydrogen bus Wednesday. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

There will be 1,300 hydrogen buses servicing Seoul by 2026.

Hyundai Motor on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Environment Ministry, SK E&S and Tmap Mobility to shift a total of 1,300 public buses to hydrogen-powered ones by 2026.

Of these, 300 will be airport buses, which make up 70 percent of all diesel buses in Seoul. They will be entirely shifted to hydrogen buses by 2030.

Five hydrogen fueling stations will also be built under the agreement.

The Environment Ministry will offer financial support, while SK E&S will assist in the production of liquid hydrogen and form refueling infrastructure. The latter will start operating its liquid hydrogen plant in Incheon at the end of the year, which will have an annual capacity of 30,000 tons.

Diesel-based buses normally produce 30 times more greenhouse gases and 43 times more micro-fine dust compared to normal passenger cars, according to Hyundai Motor.

The automotive manufacturer's hydrogen buses can run more than 600 kilometers (373 miles) per charge and need only 30 minutes to be fully fueled, which is even shorter than electric vehicles.

"Hyundai will continue to develop hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks to introduce various portfolios to the market," said Hyundai Motor CEO Chang Jae-hoon said during an agreement event Wednesday.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]