Hyundai Accelerates Supply of Hydrogen City Buses Targeting 400 Units in Seoul

[OKIsItJustMe]

https://fuelcellsworks.com/2026/04/28/fuel-cells/hyundai-accelerates-supply-of-hydrogen-city-buses-targeting-400-units-in-seoul

By Fuel Cells Works
April 28, 2026 at 8:41 AM EDT

Hyundai Motor Co., Ltd. cooperates with major transportation companies and related operators in the metropolitan area to actively decarbonize the transportation sector.

Hyundai Motor Co., Ltd. signed a business agreement with Dowon Transportation, Samhwan Transportation, Sewoon Industrial, and Hyundai Motor Securities at the UX Studio Seoul located in the Gangnam-daero office building of Hyundai Motor Co., Ltd. on the 27th (Monday), and decided to promote the acceleration of the supply of hydrogen city buses in the metropolitan area.

On the day of the signing ceremony, key stakeholders such as Yeom Jae-seop, managing director of Hyundai Motor's domestic sales business, Kim Jung-hwan, CEO of Samhwan Transportation Han Kang-soo, CEO of Sewoon Industry Ahn Kwang-heon, and Yang Young-geun, Managing Director of Hyundai Motor Securities Planning and Finance Business Division, were present.

The business agreement aims to convert CNG charging stations in the metropolitan area into hydrogen charging stations, creating a foundation for the expansion of the supply of hydrogen city buses, and the introduction of 400 hydrogen-electric buses within five years on the metropolitan city bus routes operated by Dowon Transportation and Samhwan Transportation.

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https://ecv.hyundai.com/global/en/products/elec-city-fuel-cell-fcev

ELEC CITY Fuel Cell
The newest hydrogen technology is already part of our daily lives

ELEC CITY – a Clean Mobility Solution
with Proven Fuel Cell Technology

Hyundai’s ELEC CITY bus is equipped with a 180-kW high-capacity hydrogen fuel cell system, which consists of two 90-kW hydrogen fuel cells, equipped with a durable hydrogen diffusion layer and an electrolyte membrane. The maximum output of 180kW provides plenty of driving force, even in hilly road conditions. Five hydrogen tanks on the roof store 34kg of hydrogen that provide over 500km of range.

Hyundai is continuously investigating ways to lower the CO2 footprint of mobility led by its proactive promotion of hydrogen fuel cell technology as the primary solution to the problem of lowering the carbon footprint of mobility. By steadily expanding its lineup of heavy-duty fuel cell and battery-powered trucks and buses, the company is addressing this problem head-on.

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[NNadir]

1. These fossil fuel greenwashing vehicles have proved to be expensive...

Last edited Mon May 4, 2026, 12:18 PM - Edit history (1)

...disasters all over the world, and that's not even counting when they explode.

While a number of hydrogen explosions in South Korea have led to fatalities, the most recent bus to explode, in December of 2024 didn't. Three people were injured, but unlike the 2025 explosion at the SK plant that killed two people.

The hydrogen scam in South Korea features two fossil fuel greenwashing efforts, hydrogen itself, and sequestration, in this case of the carbon dioxide utilized in the steam reformation of fossil fuels to make hydrogen. The exergy destruction in the scam, required by the laws of physics, was as always in all hydrogen scams, not mentioned.

It isn't necessarily fun, since death and injuries are involved, but one can easily learn about the poor safety record of hydrogen in South Korea just poking around the internet.

Efforts to treat hydrogen as a transportation fuel - an expensive disaster in many places around the world - have killed more people than died from radiation releases at the Fukushima nuclear plants, but only a fraction of those killed by seawater, about 20,000 in the Sendai earthquake that destroyed the reactors. Of course antinukes, all of whom couldn't care less about fossil fuels, are disinterested in the destruction of cities by seawater and do not participate in efforts to ban coastal cities as "too dangerous.:

Efforts to greenwash fossil fuels as "hydrogen," a favorite of antinukes whose couldn't care less about deaths from fossil fuels, easily have led to more deaths than radiation leaks at Fukushima, not even counting the deaths from air pollution associated with the steam reforming of fossil fuels to make the rather dangerous gas. Its horrible physical properties make it a rather dangerous material, even in well trained hands.

The EU maintains a database of hydrogen incidents leading to injury or death, HIAD 2.2.

If one pushes even lightly anywhere or any time against an antinuke, one will find an apologist for fossil fuels.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. I suppose you prefer the compressed natural gas buses they will replace?

Is that right?

[NNadir]

3. Well, in Aberdeen, Scotland, where they sqandered 15 million British Pounds...

...on hydrogen buses that they now can't sell and are thus rotting, they're replacing the hydrogen scam bases, funded by, um, BP - which should tell any serious person what they need to know - they're moving to electric busses.

Whether these will be cleaner than methane powered busses is an open question, since both electricity and hydrogen are largely made in most places from methane, about which antinukes couldn't care less.

For 2025 according to the electricity map, Great Britain, which imported 7.57%, 21.9 TWh, of its electricity from France, had a carbon intensity of 176 grams of carbon dioxide per kWh. Certainly the imports from France, with a carbon intensity of 31 grams of carbon dioxide per kWh, made Great Britain cleaner than it might have been. Britain also produced 31.2 TWh of domestic nuclear power in 2025.

In most places, including where I live on the PJM grid, an electric vehicle, if one includes embodied energy, is worse than an internal combustion engine in terms of carbon intensity. In Scotland this may not be true. (We have electric buses in Princeton which where I live are worse than methane busses.)

Whether a vehicle's propulsion fuel is cleaner than methane or even petroleum is a function of local conditions. South Korea's carbon intensity is 423 grams of carbon dioxide per kWh, with dangerous coal and dangerous natural gas providing slightly less than 30% each. Probably, given the exergy destruction of fossil fuels when they drive power plants, a directly methane powered bus would be cleaner than either hydrogen or electricity. Korea has an active nuclear manufacturing base, and nuclear is responsible for about 32% of its electricity, 185 TWh. In theory South Korea would have the ability to match France, where an electric bus would have the lowest carbon intensity, although the moral stain of cobalt mining would still be entailed.

Thanks for asking.

[OKIsItJustMe]

4. What sort of experience did the manufacture have making fuel cell vehicles?

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260402002400320

Hyundai Motor's hydrogen bus sales top 3,000 units in S. Korean market
Chang Dong-woo, 장동우
All News 09:33 April 02, 2026

SEOUL, April 2 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Co. said Thursday its cumulative domestic sales of hydrogen fuel cell buses have surpassed 3,000 units amid growing demand for eco-friendly commercial vehicles.

The automaker said its total fuel cell bus sales reached 3,062 units as of March, marking a strong growth from the 1,000 unit milestone in 2024 and 2,000 units in 2025.

Hyundai Motor has been developing hydrogen technologies since 1998 and has led the hydrogen commercial vehicle market with the launch of the Elec City bus in 2019 and the Universe bus in 2023.

The company attributed the milestone to expanding demand across various sectors, including commuter buses, along with a strong push by local governments to promote hydrogen bus adoption.

…

[NNadir]

5. Since 1998? You don't say? That's only 22 years after...

...the founding on The International Journal of Hydrogen Energy began publication.

The Apollo missions relied on hydrogen fuel cell (The oxygen tank, not the hydrogen tank, blew up on Apollo 13.) so whether the technology for fuel cells had been around for a long time is not a question. The question is thermodynamics. Now matter how hydrogen is made on Earth industrially it destroys exergy.

There may be, in theory conditions where hydrogen could capture exergy, but this would involve high temperature nuclear reactors that have only been built as research tools, mostly over half a century ago.

Half a century of hydrogen bullshit hasn't changed the laws of physics. Bullshit can't change the laws of physics.

People are always publishing papers to get around the issue of the platinum requirements of fuel cells. There may even be commercial examples of some that do. Since I know and respect the laws of thermodynamics with respect to hydrogen bullshit, I don't pay all that much attention to fuel cell technology or its cost.

I do know that the history of hydrogen bullshit is long, abd goes back way beyond 1998. Mostly hydrogen bullshit in current times is to greenwash fossil fuels.

[thought crime]

11. You "respect the laws of thermodynamics" but seem to ignore economics

If fossil fuels can be used to produce useful amounts of hydrogen at economically viable price levels, then cheaper renewable energy can do it, too. Engineers work with physical laws as system constraints, but they still build machines that defy gravity. They make reliable communications and information systems from unreliable networks. They can store energy, and stabilize the grid.

It may be that the most important "anti-nuke" is not some imaginary person that we never actually see or hear, but the "silent hand" of the market providing investment for the cheapest and most effective solutions possible. That seems to include renewable energy.

[OKIsItJustMe]

6. Worldwide review of hydrogen fuel cell buses: Status, opportunities, and challenges

Zhuowei Wang, Anthony Chen, Chengxiang Zhuge, Worldwide review of hydrogen fuel cell buses: Status, opportunities, and challenges,
Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Volume 154, 2026, 105299, ISSN 1361-9209, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2026.105299.

Abstract: Hydrogen is becoming a key carbon-free energy carrier for transportation, especially for long-haul public transit due to its high energy density and fast refueling. Hydrogen fuel cell buses (FCBs) are attracting global attention. This review analyzes 153 sources to summarize FCB adoption, policies, technical and economic features, and region-specific challenges and opportunities across 13 representative areas with specific cases of both success and failure. Findings show FCBs outperform battery electric buses in certain conditions, and fuel cell technology has strong future potential. However, large-scale adoption is hindered by high costs, limited infrastructure, and social acceptance, varying by region. We recommend integrated multidisciplinary academic efforts in energy management, lifecycle analysis, multi-modal transport, and stakeholder engagement, and practical steps in policy support, regulatory standards, public education, and international cooperation. These strategies are crucial for positioning FCBs as a viable zero-emission transport solution and for advancing the hydrogen economy in diverse contexts.

Introduction

The transport sector accounts for about one-quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions (Wijayasekera et al., 2024), underscoring the need for its decarbonization to meet carbon neutrality goals. Buses represent a key component of low-carbon public transit systems, with zero-emission buses (ZEBs) providing a viable pathway to eliminate tailpipe emissions (Hensher et al., 2022). In transit-dependent cities such as Hong Kong, where buses account for about one-third of daily passenger trips (HKTD report, 2025), decarbonizing the bus sector is especially critical.

Both battery electric buses (BEBs) and hydrogen fuel cell buses (FCBs)¹ are viable ZEB options that are being explored and promoted globally. BEBs currently dominate the ZEB market, primarily due to their lower costs (Hensher et al., 2022) and the availability of mature charging infrastructure that can leverage existing electricity grids. However, FCBs offer distinct advantages in specific operational contexts. These include substantially shorter refueling times compared to even fast-charging BEBs (Poggio et al., 2023), reliable performance in extreme climates where BEBs are prone to significant range loss (Kim et al., 2021), and enhanced suitability for long-haul operations owing to hydrogen’s high energy density (i.e., 143 MJ/kg, much higher than diesel/gasoline at 45 MJ/kg, and lithium-ion batteries at less than 1 MJ/kg; Durbin and Malardier-Jugroot, 2013), which enables driving ranges exceeding 400 km—making FCBs particularly appropriate for intercity routes or full-day urban service without mid-day charging (Logan et al., 2020). These technical advantages position FCBs as a promising solution for certain market segments.

According to the latest International Energy Analysis (IEA) report (2025), by 2024, a total of 8,712 FCBs were operational across 21 countries and five continents, with Asia—particularly China—dominating global deployment, as shown in Fig. 1. China accounted for 82.06% of the worldwide fleet (7,147 units), followed by South Korea, Germany, the United States (U.S.), and Japan. Europe, while representing less than 10% of the global total, FCBs are already being developed in a notable number of countries, with Germany, the United Kingdom (U.K.), and Spain taking the lead. In North America, adoption was concentrated in the U.S. (particularly California) and Canada. Other emerging countries include India, Brazil, and Australia (Sustainable Bus news, 2024c). Globally, single-deck FCBs are most prevalent, though double-decker models are being piloted in the U.K. and Hong Kong, China (Citybus news, 2022). Overall, the spatial distribution remains heavily Asia-dominated, while other regions are showing gradual and expanding interest.

…

Assuming for the moment, that number (8,712) is still accurate, It looks like, Hyundai has sold a bit more than one third of the world's fleet of “FCB’s,” with most of those sales happening in the past 2 years.

[NNadir]

7. Yeah, and? Hydrogen bullshit has had a dedicated journal since 1976...

...and there are tens of thousands of papers published all about hydrogen as a fuel in journals outside of that dedicated journal. I probably come across ten or so titles every week on the topic in my normal reading.

No publication has changed the 2nd law of thermodynamics, nor has any changed tge critical temperature of hydrogen, third lowest of any known gas, nor the compatibility issues in materials science.

There are over 10 million buses in the world. If there are people dumb enough to buy a few, it doesn't mean shit.

[OKIsItJustMe]

8. My but you're a "potty mouth"

Do you find that makes your arguments more persuasive?

[NNadir]

9. I'm not trying to be "persuasive," to people who bring this nonsense around here.

There is an audience beyond the participants, and over the last half a century I feel compelled to clear the air about something called "reality."

When I was young and stupid I certainly bought into the nonsense that hydrogen would be "green" but now that I'm well educated, I feel free to address this unfortunate but disturbingly popular conception.

Hell, when I was in high school I took my rectifier from a toy and set up a copper wire to electrolyze salt water. (This of course caused the copper to oxidize.) It is an experiment every kid should do. However if one is a grown up, it's a different story.

The value of being educated is enhanced when one shares it. Whether or not one is cute and gracious about it has nothing to do with one is stating a truth or not. I have personally learned a great deal from people I personally didn't like.

In the other direction I have tended to dislike people who value their dogmatic perceptions in such a way as to advocate for destructive practices, particularly where sustainability and our obligations to future generations are at stake.

It is important to correct the record. On this planet, right now, hydrogen manufacture is responsible for about 2 to 3% of carbon emissions each year, about a billion tons. For this reason, since it represents a particularly dirty reagent, an essential one, but a dirty one all the same, and thus efforts to claim that it is a clean fuel harms the environment.

Got it?

No?

Why am I not surprised?

Have a nice day.

[OKIsItJustMe]

10. So, what do you think you're accomplishing?

Clearly you don’t believe you will sway me. Is there some audience you believe will be persuaded by your cheap theatrics?