South Korean media reports explosion of hydrogen bus

Hyundai Elec City fuel cell bus (Photo: Hyundai Motor)

The Korea Times has reported that a hydrogen fuel cell bus has exploded in the city of Chungju, located in central South Korea.

According to the report the incident occurred as the bus was being restarted after refuelling. Three people were injured in the explosion, which blew off the back of the bus.

Investigators from a series of organisations, including the Korea Gas Safety Corporation, are looking into the case, said to be the first such incident involving a commercial fuel cell vehicle since they were first introduced a decade ago.

The bus was manufactured by Hyundai Motor. According to reports, the driver was enroute to a repair shop due to a fault icon appearing on the vehicle instrument panel.

Based on the location of the explosion, the holding tank is not likely to be the cause of the blast. No further details about the cause were released.

In the Hyundai Elec City, the fuel cell stacks are located in the rear of the vehicle, while the fuel tanks are positioned on the roof. The model uses two 90 kW fuel cell stacks and a 180 kW motor.

The city has since suspended operation of all 18 hydrogen-powered buses.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, South Korea has a growing fleet of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. As of October 2024, 36,989 were registered, up from 29,623 in 2022 and just 893 in 2018.