Hyundai Motor to build hydrogen bus chargers at Incheon Int'l Airport

SEOUL, May 12 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Co. said Tuesday it will build charging facilities for hydrogen buses at Incheon International Airport, the country's main gateway, by March 2021.

Hyundai Motor will also provide hydrogen buses to the Incheon airport, and French company Air Liquide SA, the world's biggest supplier of industrial gases, will supply high-end charging equipment and hydrogen to the facilities, the company said in a statement.

Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC), the operator of the country's main airport, plans to gradually replace old shuttle buses that have combustion engines with hydrogen fuel-cell electric buses in the next five years, it said.

In October 2018, Hyundai Motor partnered with Air Liquide for hydrogen-powered vehicles and the establishment of hydrogen charging stations.

Carmakers have been racing to go eco-friendly amid tightened regulations on emissions of greenhouse gases that scientists say are to blame for global warming.

A fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) only emits water vapor as it converts stored hydrogen into electricity, which turns the vehicle's motor.

The world's hydrogen fuel-cell electric car market is expected to grow to 400 million passenger cars, 15-20 million trucks and 5 million buses by 2025, according to U.S. management consulting firm McKinsey & Co.

kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
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