China’s noble hydrogen hopes for bike-sharing sector hit pothole as recall leaves outlook inert
- Hydrogen power sector has been regarded as a source of new economic growth following China’s success with electric vehicles, lithium batteries and solar cells
- Recent setback resulted in several hydrogen-powered bicycles being pulled off the streets last weekend, for ‘certain adjustments’
China’s hankering to harness the power of hydrogen has expanded to the bike-sharing industry – with a number of cities offering cyclists easy-to-ride bikes powered by low-emission fuel – but the road has been a bumpy one.
More than a year into a trial run in suburban Shanghai, shared hydrogen-powered bikes were recently recalled amid complaints about various technical failures, according to local users and the bike’s manufacturer, Youon Technology.
Compared with conventional electric bikes that use lithium batteries, those powered by hydrogen fuel cells are meant to offer advantages such as faster recharge times and longer service lives, while also being more environmentally friendly – producing only water during operation.
But the ones that residents have seen rolling through the streets of Lingang since the autumn of 2022 are now being subjected to “certain adjustments”, an online customer service representative for Youon said on Monday.
Lingang, a tech hub in southeast Shanghai, is among a number of areas in China promoting eco-friendly shared bikes amid the country’s efforts to curb pollution while striving to cultivate a low-carbon, tech-driven economy.
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Such bikes can also be found in other cities such as Lijiang in Yunnan province, Duanzhou in Guangdong province, and Xiaoyi in Shanxi province, according to local media reports.