Hydrogen-powered transport: Hong Kong lags in adoption but can still lead in innovation, says refuelling-station investor

‘Hong Kong has the potential to be a leader in hydrogen utilisation, as we can afford to adopt the best in the world,’ says David An of Hans Energy

The company is bankrolling the city’s first hydrogen-refuelling station, slated for completion around September as Citybus readies for bus trials

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Citybus expects its first hydrogen-powered electric double-decker bus, pictured after its delivery in June 2022, to begin trials in the fourth quarter of this year. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 8:30am, 20 Jun 2023

Hong Kong trails other cities in the adoption of hydrogen fuel for road transport, including public buses, but can still become an innovator in using the technology to combat climate change, according to the investor funding the construction of the city’s first hydrogen refuelling station.

“Hong Kong has the potential to be a leader in hydrogen utilisation, as we can afford to adopt the best in the world,” said David An, chairman of Hans Energy, noting that the city has some of the world’s most stringent quality requirements for buses. “[Mainland] China has many hydrogen buses, but they are completely different from ours, which are built to European Union standards.”

Hydrogen fuel enjoys strong policy support in Hong Kong, where transport accounts for a fifth of carbon emissions. The government’s 2023-24 budget provides HK$200 million (US$25.6 million) for trials of double-decker buses and heavy vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells, which generate zero roadside emissions. And Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said last October that the government will formulate long-term strategies for the application of hydrogen energy in road transport by 2025.

The city aims to halve carbon emissions by 2035, compared with 2005 levels, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Buses in Hong Kong, such as these plying their routes in Wan Chai in July 2022, face unique demands because of Hong Kong’s hot, humid summers and narrow, steep and winding roads. Photo: Nora Tam

Early last month, Hans said its pilot project to build Hong Kong’s first hydrogen refuelling station – at a Citybus depot in West Kowloon – has received an “agreement in principle” from the government. The company originally hoped the station would be operating in the first quarter of 2023, but now expects construction to be finished around September.