Hyundai starts test with hydrogen bus in Munich

Hyundai will use a hydrogen bus as a regular bus in Munich in the coming weeks. A minimum of two bus companies will use the Elec City hydrogen bus for bus routes and will also carry passengers in the process. The Elec City is already being used commercially in South Korea.

The pilot starts with two bus companies that will take turns using the Elec City for bus lines. Hyundai does not provide further details about the lines, so it is not known how long they are and how many passengers they will carry. The manufacturer wants to carry out demonstrations with four additional bus companies later this year, in order to get more carrier and passenger feedback. Hyundai hopes to use the tests to prove that the hydrogen-electric buses can be used commercially in public transport.

It is not the first time that Hyundai is testing the Elec City bus. The hydrogen bus has been commercially deployed in South Korea since 2019. A total of 108 buses have been put into use there.

The Elec City bus has a 180kW fuel cell system, consisting of two separate 90kW cells. These are supplied with hydrogen via five hydrogen tanks. These tanks have a maximum capacity of 34 kg, which would be good for more than 500 kilometers of range. In addition to hydrogen buses, Hyundai is focusing on hydrogen trucks and passenger cars.