Woojin Industrial Systems to launch H2 buses in South Korea

Citing Woojin Industrial Systems Vice President Kim Kwang-seok, an ET News report says the company plans to launch an 11-metre ‘Apollo 1100 H2’ as its first hydrogen bus. The South Korean enterprise is working on the certification for this model and concurrently developing more hydrogen buses.

The Apollo 1100 H2 is a modified version of the Apollo 1100 battery electric bus that delivers a range of 412 km. The company plans to use aluminium in the body of the hydrogen bus to keep its weight low and produce parts locally.

Woojin Industrial Systems has created a hydrogen vehicle task force within its EV division and is working on a hydrogen bus production line at its plant in Gimcheon (North Gyeongsang Province). The company aims to finish construction by the middle of August and wants to start production in October. ET News reports that the company plans to invest 40 billion won in the Gimcheon plant to produce 1,500 units of various sustainable vehicles a year, including battery-electric and hydrogen buses.

The capacity could be expanded to meet higher demand in the future. Initially, Woojin Industrial Systems plans to supply 40 units of the Apollo 1100 H2 to major transportation operators in Incheon, a centrally governed city near Seoul.

Woojin Industrial Systems is currently testing the Apollo 1100 H2 in public. Last month, a public transport enthusiast posted a picture of a prototype parked at a hydrogen refuelling station on Naver Cafe SBM.

South Korea, like Japan, is still betting on hydrogen technology for its carbon neutralisation initiatives in the transport industry. The country aims to have 300,000 hydrogen vehicles on the roads by 2030, with buses accounting for 20,000 units of the targeted volume.

etnews.com (in Korean), cafe.naver.com (in Korean)