A Korean-Chinese consortium has delivered 249 hydrogen fuel cell buses to Guangzhou’s state-owned public transport operator, marking a significant milestone for fuel cell mobility in China, the partners said.
The buses were supplied under a partnership between HTWO Guangzhou, a hydrogen fuel cell subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group, and China’s Kaiwo Group, which operates internationally under the Skywell name and markets vehicles under the Skyworth brand. The companies described the programme as “one of the largest hydrogen bus projects in China”.
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The delivery completes an order announced in December and confirmed this month by Kaiwo Group. The vehicles are 8.5-metre hydrogen midibuses marketed as Skyworth models and designated NJL6856FCEVF. They are equipped with a 90-kilowatt fuel cell system with an efficiency rate of 64%, paired with a 176 kilowatt-hour battery supplied by CATL, according to technical specifications released by the manufacturers.
The buses offer a driving range of up to 390 kilometres on hydrogen alone, extending to 576 kilometres when combined with battery power, with refuelling times of between three and five minutes. Additional features include a low-floor layout and a rear overhang of less than 1.1 metres, aimed at improving urban operability and passenger access.
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The fuel cell systems are produced at HTWO Guangzhou’s manufacturing facility in the southern Chinese city, completed in 2023. The site is Hyundai’s first hydrogen fuel cell production base outside South Korea, underscoring the group’s strategy to expand hydrogen technology through overseas partnerships.
Under the Guangzhou Public Transport Group tender, the 249 buses form part of a broader procurement covering around 500 hydrogen buses in total. The Skyworth-branded vehicles supplied by the HTWO-Kaiwo partnership account for roughly half of the awarded fleet, highlighting the growing role of joint ventures in China’s push to scale up hydrogen-powered public transport.