The Beijing municipal government has unveiled a long-term plan to develop a hydrogen-based transportation sector, including related infrastructure, as its looks to switch from fossil fuel to green energies over the next decade.
According to local reports, more than ten provinces and cities in China recently unveiled plans to encourage the adoption of hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), as the country looks to reach peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.
Beijing was the latest city to release its targets last week, which include plans to have a network of 37 hydrogen filling stations and 3,000 FCEVs in use by the end of 2023, rising to 10,000 units by 2025.
The Beijing city government said it will encourage the development of a hydrogen systems industry and infrastructure, with a dozen or so leading companies to be nurtured into developingcutting edge technologies and expertise and provide products and services.
The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology said in a statement it wants to form a hydrogen industrial cluster with up to fifteen leading companies manufacturing key components and equipment and develop three or four world-class industrial research, development and innovation platforms by 2025.
Beijing is looking to establish a hydrogen eco-system in combination with the nearby city of Tianjin and neighbouring Hebei province that will generate over CNY100bn (US$15bn) in revenues by 2030, reducing carbon emissions by two million metric tons per year.
China has set a nationwide target of consuming close to 60 million tons of hydrogen per year nu 2050, resulting in a carbon dioxide emissions reduction of some 700 million tons per year.Total FCEV sales in China are said to have reach 7,000 units in 2020.
Other cities that are developing similar hydrogen strategies include Shanghai, which already has a reported 1,500 hydrogen-powered vehicles in use, Guangzhou, Rugao, Zhangjiagang, Jiaxing and Ningbo.