South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) has partnered with Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer Skywell Group to supply hydrogen fuel cell-powered buses to Guangzhou Public Transport Group (GPTG), in China’s Guangdong province.

HMG’s Chinese hydrogen fuel cell subsidiary, HTWO Guangzhou, and Skywell have jointly developed an 8.5-metre hydrogen fuel-cell bus, which they jointly unveiled at an event held in Guangzhou earlier this month.

The Skyworth bus, powered by a hydrogen fuel cell system produced by HTWO Guangzhou, was entered into GPTG’s public bidding process earlier this year for the acquisition of 50 hydrogen buses for use as part of its public transport fleet. Skywell and HMG won the bid and have agreed to supply half of the buses by the end of the year, which will be put into service in 2026.

Skywell said at the launch event that the new hydrogen fuel cell bus “marks a new stage in the technical collaboration between Skywell Group and Hyundai Motor, and a pivotal step in bringing hydrogen transportation from technological breakthrough to market application." The companies plan to expand their collaboration to include the development of hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks and local/regional logistics vehicles.

HMG has a manufacturing facility in Guangzhou with a production capacity of 6,500 hydrogen fuel-cell systems per year.  The company said it aims to secure a leading position in China's hydrogen fuel-cell and hydrogen-powered vehicle markets through its HTWO Guangzhou subsidiary.