Shiyan, China — Shiyan, known as China’s “Commercial Vehicle Capital”, has been included in the national hydrogen energy pilot programme, leveraging its established commercial vehicle industry and growing hydrogen applications across road transport, shipping and aviation.

The city is home to 12 complete-vehicle manufacturers, four of which hold production qualifications for fuel cell vehicles. It also has 56 special-purpose vehicle manufacturers and 3,167 automotive parts companies, forming a comprehensive supply chain covering fuel cell systems, air compressors, hydrogen storage systems and complete-vehicle manufacturing.

Shiyan has also made progress in the industrialisation of hydrogen fuel cells, onboard hydrogen storage and hydrogen storage and supply systems.

Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles has established hydrogen energy industrial bases in Wuhan and Shiyan, with an annual production capacity of 5,000 fuel cell stack systems and 1.6 million membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs).

Located at the junction of Hubei, Henan, Shaanxi and Chongqing, Shiyan is an important logistics hub connecting Central, Northwest and Southwest China. Its dense trunk-line freight network and strong demand for heavy-duty mining transport provide opportunities for hydrogen applications across multiple scenarios.

In trunk-line logistics and mining applications, Dongfeng Special Vehicle Co., Ltd.’s 49-tonne hydrogen-powered heavy-duty truck consumes 7.5 kg of hydrogen per 100 kilometres, delivers a driving range of more than 650 kilometres under full load and can be refuelled in 20 minutes.

The vehicle also benefits from a provincial policy exempting hydrogen-powered vehicles from highway tolls, supporting its commercial operation.

Shiyan is also promoting the retrofit of hydrogen-powered vessels to support ecological protection in the Danjiangkou Reservoir area, while exploring hydrogen-powered aircraft for reservoir inspection missions. Together, these initiatives are intended to establish a three-dimensional hydrogen application demonstration covering land, water and air.

During the four-year pilot period, Shiyan plans to scale up the deployment of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, develop a network of hydrogen refuelling stations and launch demonstration projects involving hydrogen-powered vessels, mining trucks and hydrogen energy storage.

The city will also leverage the Han-Xiang-Shi Hydrogen Energy Corridor and regional coordination mechanisms to share platform resources and policy support.

Building on its commercial vehicle industrial chain, Shiyan aims to accelerate the development of a “green electricity plus green hydrogen” industrial ecosystem and establish a national demonstration base for large-scale hydrogen applications in the commercial vehicle sector.

Compiled from：Shiyan Daily