Transport sector supports hydrogen vehicles: survey
Automotive experts said on Friday that there is strong support from the commercial vehicle sector to switch to using hydrogen vehicles, but the government must take the first step in facilitating the change. The Automotive Platforms and Application Systems Research and Development Centre and City University scholars polled 88 stakeholders in the industry – from bus operators to vehicle manufacturers – between July and August. CityU Professor Ng Yun-hau said about two-thirds of the respondents favoured hydrogen vehicles over electric one, because recharging is faster and the fuel can last longer. "Hydrogen has a higher energy density, which means with one refuelling you can run for a longer mileage," he said. "For vehicles like buses, one refuelling of hydrogen probably can last them half a day or one day." But Ng said the government needs to take an active role in the matter, as there’s currently no regulatory framework in place to bring in such vehicles.  "We need to have not guidelines [but] policies on how we can import, store and distribute hydrogen. Without that as a starting point, even if we have consumers that want to use it, there is no way to start," he said. Lawrence Cheung, CEO of the Automotive Platforms and Application Systems Research and Development Centre, said apart from importing hydrogen fuel, local energy supplier Towngas can also play a part.  "We can contemplate using the hydrogen content from Towngas, and then we can make use of certain... technology to take away the hydrocarbon within the Towngas supply. The product of that would be pure hydrogen, which can be used in the supply or refilling station," he said. Meanwhile, the government said it has commissioned a consultant to look into amending the Gas Safety Ordinance to include hydrogen as a fuel, adding that stakeholders will be consulted in the process.