(3 May 2023) Citybus’ zero-emission transformation campaign #MissionZero has achieved yet another significant milestone, having officially received today an “agreement-in-principle” from the government’s ‘Inter-departmental Working Group on using Hydrogen as Fuel’ for our applications relating to the first hydrogen fuel cell double-decker bus and the first hydrogen refuelling station in Hong Kong. CIMC Hydrogen Energy Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (“CIMC Hydrogen”), a subsidiary of CIMC Enric Holdings Limited (“CIMC Enric”) will supply and install the refuelling station which will be operational alongside the hydrogen bus later this year, starting a new chapter for Hong Kong’s hydrogen strategy.
The projects will now progress on both the type approval and construction respectively, and are planned to be the first operational hydrogen vehicle and refuelling station in Hong Kong’s history later this year. Our plan is to build Hong Kong’s first-ever hydrogen refueling station in our West Kowloon Depot which was announced in October 2022. The station, backed and supported by our shareholders, Templewater and Hans Energy, will be able to provide hydrogen refueling services for our hydrogen bus. We are delighted to announce that CIMC Hydrogen has been awarded the tender to supply and install the hydrogen refuelling station, following a competitive tender process.
The hydrogen bus was shipped to Australia in late 2022 to demonstrate Hong Kong’s leading zero-emission technology and is now being shipped back to Mainland China for further technical assessments. It will return to Hong Kong later this year for the type approval process by the Transport Department.
Citybus Operations & Engineering Director Mr. Vincent Fung said: “We are grateful that the Inter-departmental Working Group has given an agreement-in-principle to the applications for both of our projects. This is a vote of confidence in our vision for zero-emissions which our skilled team has spent countless hours on undertaking research, development and stakeholder engagement. Now our focus is bringing both the bus and the refuelling station into operation later this year.” He continued, “Citybus shareholder Hans Energy will fund the construction of this hydrogen refuelling station and we are delighted to work with CIMC Hydrogen again, after the success of our hydrogen bus project. CIMC Hydrogen is an internationally renowned refuelling station supplier. We believe their state-of-the-art technology will set the standard of a safe and efficient hydrogen refuelling system in Hong Kong.”
Citybus Shareholder Templewater Partner and Head of Impact Investing Dr. Yufeng Wan said, “We are proud to support this ground-breaking zero-emission initiative in Hong Kong. Collaborating with esteemed partners such as CIMC Hydrogen, Hans Energy and Citybus, we are thrilled to be part of a project that has the potential to revolutionize the way we think about transportation and energy.” Dr. Wan continued, “We are particularly pleased that the Hong Kong government is supportive and provided their “agreement-in-principle” for the hydrogen refuelling station and hydrogen bus to go into operation in Hong Kong. This is a significant step forward in achieving our shared vision of a cleaner, more sustainable future for Hong Kong and beyond. At Templewater, we are committed to investing and driving innovation and progress in the energy sector. This project represents a key milestone in our efforts to develop and promote cutting-edge technologies that can help to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change.”
Citybus Shareholder Hans Energy Company CEO Mr. Yang Dong said, “Hans Energy is delighted to contribute to Hong Kong's zero-emission goal as the first hydrogen refuelling station investor in Hong Kong. This marks a significant milestone as our company transitions towards new energy business from traditional energy business.”
CIMC Enric Hydrogen Business Centre CEO Ms. Yang Baoying said, "It is a great honor to provide hydrogen equipment and integrated solutions for Citybus' first hydrogen refueling station in Hong Kong. The two parties have joined hands again after the previous cooperation of the world's first tri-axle double-decker hydrogen-powered bus. As the industry's leading equipment supplier covering the entire hydrogen energy industry chain, CIMC Hydrogen will spare no effort to serve Hong Kong with the highest standard of products and solutions. We look forward to continuing to work with Citybus and other industry partners to expand the extensive hydrogen energy industry chain market in Hong Kong under the promotion of the Hong Kong government."
To provide comprehensive zero-emission transportation solutions to the city, Citybus believes it is critical to have both electric and hydrogen buses in our roadmap as they are both suitable for Hong Kong’s challenging operating environment and are complementary to each other. The world’s first tri-axle hydrogen double-decker bus specially designed and built for Hong Kong was introduced in July 2022, to demonstrate the technology to government officials, stakeholders and the public. The investments Citybus and our shareholders have made in the research and development will accelerate the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology in Hong Kong and critically support the Hong Kong government’s plans to test hydrogen fuel cell buses in Hong Kong.
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, and 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 one million customers per day. Bravo Transport has an industry-leading bus fleet with all buses operating franchised public bus services operating at Euro5 or above.
Templewater Group (“Templewater”) is an alternative asset management firm headquartered in Hong Kong, founded by Mr. Cliff Zhang and the Investec Group in 2018 as a spin-off of Investec Group’s Principal Investments Division in Asia, continuing the heritage and investment track record of the Investec Group. Templewater is a solution-based and trusted partner to institutions, entrepreneurs and family offices. Templewater invests across the alternative asset classes in private equity, impact investing and real estate.
CIMC Hydrogen is a hydrogen business platform of CIMC Enric focusing on hydrogen transportation, hydrogen power and hydrogen industries at home and abroad. CIMC Hydrogen intends to develop itself to a leading technology company in the hydrogen energy industry. After many years of development, the Company has two wholly-owned subsidiaries, two joint ventures, and seven global leading equipment manufacturing bases at Shijiazhuang, Langfang, Nantong, Zhangjiagang, Qidong and Jingmen. Led by its international view and grouped operation concept, an industry landscape of integrated hydrogen industry chain covering manufacturing, storage, transportation, processing and application has been developed to provide green, fast and convenient and cost-efficient hydrogen application resolutions for customers in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as over 10 countries, including Korea, Japan, Denmark, Switzerland and America.
