Citybus Leads Hong Kong's Hydrogen Era with Launch of First Hydrogen Double-Decker Bus and Refuelling Station

(30 November 2023, Hong Kong) Officiated by Mr. John Lee Ka-chiu, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“HKSAR”), Citybus today launched our hydrogen double-decker bus and refueling station, proudly leading Hong Kong into the new era of hydrogen transportation and infrastructure. This momentous occasion marks the licensing of the first-ever hydrogen vehicle in Hong Kong and in parallel the completion and start of operations of the city’s first hydrogen refueling station, signifying a major stride forward in the advancement of hydrogen development. Encapsulated within our slogan, "The Future is H2re”, we are now preparing for the forthcoming launch into service of our hydrogen bus expected within January 2024. During next year we will also procure additional production model hydrogen buses for carrying out parallel testing alongside electric and diesel buses, thereby providing insights to the Government in formulating their policies.

We were proud to welcome the Chief Executive of the HKSAR, Mr. John Lee Ka-chiu, along with Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr. Tse Chin-wan and Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr. Lam Sai-hung, at the official launching ceremony at our West Kowloon Depot, symbolizing the commissioning of Hong Kong’s first ever hydrogen refueling station, which will provide the refueling services for the hydrogen bus. During the ceremony, Mr. Cliff Zhang, Chairman of Citybus proudly announced the completion of type approval procedures for the world’s first tri-axle hydrogen double-decker bus, making it also the first licensed hydrogen vehicle in Hong Kong. Our hydrogen double-decker bus, adorned with “The Future is H2re” livery was launched upon much accolade, with the Chief Executive of the HKSAR, Mr. John Lee Ka-chiu becoming our first passenger upon a hydrogen vehicle in Hong Kong, personally experiencing the unique package and advantages of the hydrogen bus.

Mr. Cliff Zhang, Chairman of Citybus, said: ‘Hydrogen plays a pivotal role in the future national energy landscape and as countries worldwide consider hydrogen as a future clean energy source. Following the Chief Executive’s announcement in the Policy Address of 2022 to test out hydrogen double-decker buses, Citybus has vigorously worked with multiple Government departments spearheaded by the Inter Departmental Working Group and adopting a results-oriented approach, to kick-off Hong Kong’s new hydrogen era. We are confident that our hydrogen bus and refueling station will become iconic zero emission projects for Hong Kong on the wider international stage, and a “postcard” showcasing our advancements in the new energy field.’ 

We are fully dedicated to supporting Hong Kong’s carbon neutrality target through our zero-emission campaign #MissionZero, pledging to operate a full-fleet of zero-emission buses by 2045, which is five years earlier than the government’s target. The operational range of production type hydrogen buses is comparable to diesel vehicles coupled with a short refueling time, making it suitable to operate across our routes. This enable us to achieve a critical “one-for-one replacement” of diesel buses. Our first hydrogen bus, serving as a prototype, can be refueled in merely 10 minutes. The production model hydrogen bus, which will double the hydrogen storage capacity, enabling a 400 km range under Hong Kong’s demanding operating conditions. Additionally, hydrogen vehicles produce only water as a by-product during the energy transformation process, making them an exceptionally environmentally friendly transportation option.

With the successful launch of the world’s first tri-axle hydrogen double deck bus, we have effectively worked with the Government in achieving their key performance index of testing hydrogen bus within this year. We are eagerly awaiting to put the bus into service as early as January 2024, upon completion of our internal testing and preparations work. The hydrogen bus will operate on Kowloon routes in first phase, supported by Hong Kong’s first hydrogen refueling station which is a cutting-edge station supplied by the industry leader in mainland China, CIMC Hydrogen Energy Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of CIMC Enric Holdings Limited. We are actively preparing for our second hydrogen refueling station in our Hong Kong Island Chong Fu Depot, which is larger in scale than the one at our West Kowloon Depot. It is positioned to commence within 2024. 

To comprehensively evaluate the performance of hydrogen buses across different routes, Citybus will introduce no fewer than five additional production model hydrogen buses, which will be trialed alongside diesel and electric buses next year. The detailed statistics collected during the parallel testing could thereby provide invaluable statistics to the Government in formulating their comprehensive citywide green transformation roadmap and timetable for public buses and taxis, and a “Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong”.

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Citybus is owned by Bravo Transport Services and is committed to improving the quality of life for the citizens of Hong Kong that we serve, whilst providing safe and reliable bus services. The company employs over 5,000 staff, operates over 1,700 buses across Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories and carries over 1m customers per day. Citybus has an industry leading bus fleet with all buses operating at Euro5 emissions standard or above.

The world’s first tri-axle hydrogen double deck bus was co-developed by Citybus and Wisdom (Fujian) Motor Company Limited. The hydrogen fuel-cell is provided by Ballard Power Systems; and the hydrogen storage cylinder and supply system is provided by CIMC-HEXAGON, a joint-venture company of CIMC Enric and Hexagon Purus. The first hydrogen refueling station in Hong Kong is backed and supported by our shareholder Templewater and invested by our shareholder Hans Energy. The station is installed and supplied by CIMC Hydrogen Energy Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of CIMC Enric Holdings Limited.