China to unveil second batch of FCV demonstration city clusters

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- The governmental review of China's second batches of fuel cell vehicle (FCV) demonstration cities has already been completed, according to a local media outlet, meaning the city clusters led by Zhengzhou of Henan province and Zhangjiakou of Hebei province will soon join the country’s significant program for boosting the application of FCVs.

SAIC Maxus' EUNIQ 7 fuel cell MPV; photo credit: SAIC Maxus

According to a policy jointly issued by such departments as the MIIT and the Ministry of Finance in Sept. 2020, Chinese government will reward the chosen demonstration city clusters, which are required to achieve a set of FCV market development targets. The demonstration period is tentatively set at four years.

The city clusters led by Beijing's Daxing District, Shanghai, and Foshan city of Guangdong province have been selected as the first batch of FCV demonstration conurbations. Notably, Zibo, a city of Shandong province, is a member of all three city clusters.

The three clusters have already kicked off FCV demonstration works, aiming to promote over 20,000 FCVs and build over 306 hydrogen-refueling stations during the demonstration period. The vehicles and infrastructures will be used in such scenarios as transportation of minerals, steel, and building materials, as well as complete vehicle logistics. 

According to the data offered by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), about 1,000 FCVs were output and sold in China during the first 11 months of 2021, representing 23% and 16% year-on-year growth respectively.