Tianjin to let hydrogen fuel cell industry take off

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Tianjin, a coastal metropolis in Northern China, intends to initially build a complete industrial chain of hydrogen fuel by 2022 with an expected annual output value exceeding RMB10 billion, according to an action plan that will soon be released by the city's governmental agencies. 

Highlighting the commercialization of hydrogen fuel cells and relevant key components, Tianjin municipal government will introduce complete vehicle manufacturers to develop hydrogen fuel-cell prototypes and mass produce vehicles driven by such clean energy, according to the action plan.

As part of efforts to achieve the goal, local government will set up three pilot zones to promote the application of hydrogen fuel in eligible areas, popularize hydrogen fuel-cell logistics vehicles and fork lift trucks in the transportation field. Meanwhile, commercial hydrogen-refueling stations will be established to ensure a stable energy supply. The government also plans to designate some proper routes to promote hydrogen-powered buses.

Besides, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will be prioritized when the government purchases official vehicles. Governmental agencies should take the lead in using hydrogen-fuel cars and gradually enlarged their proportion.

Moreover, the government will support the trial operation of fuel cell passenger vehicles in limited areas and the building of fleet management and data collection platforms.

Earlier this month, another coastal province Jiangsu released its ambition to be the country's leading development base of hydrogen fuel cell vehicle industry.

With the aim of forming a rather complete industrial system and a well-deployed hydrogen supply network, Jiangsu will strive to output over 10,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and build more than 50 hydrogen filling stations in total by 2025, according to the Plan of Action for the Development of Jiangsu Province's Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Industry.

The initiative of promoting the construction of such infrastructures as hydrogen-refueling stations was unveiled by China in the Report on the Work of the Government this year.

For the first eight months of 2019, China's fuel cell vehicle outputs and sales reached 1,194 units and 1,125 units respectively, 7 and 7.3 times more than that of the year-ago period, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).