How Does Ankai Achieve Success in Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses?

2024-07-09 Source：www.chinabuses.org

Summarize：As one of the earliest bus manufacturers in China to embark on fuel cell bus development, Ankai has gradually demonstrated its achievements in the field of hydrogen fuel cell buses in recent years. Its related products have been operating in bulk in Hefei, Lu'an, and other places, integrating the once mysterious hydrogen fuel cell buses into public transportation.

As one of the earliest bus manufacturers in China to embark on fuel cell bus development, Ankai has gradually demonstrated its achievements in the field of hydrogen fuel cell buses in recent years. Its related products have been operating in bulk in Hefei, Lu'an, and other places, integrating the once mysterious hydrogen fuel cell buses into public transportation.

Accumulating Strength for Twenty Years, Aiming for a Zero-Carbon Future

During the 2024 National People's Congress, hydrogen energy was included in the government work report for the first time, listing it as one of the key tasks for 2024. The report emphasized promoting the high-quality development of the hydrogen energy industry and increased policy support for it, indicating the direction for the development of China's hydrogen energy industry and providing strong policy guarantees for the future development of fuel cell buses.

Responding to the national hydrogen energy policies, Ankai actively technology deepening and was the first to capture the immense potential of hydrogen energy development. Back in 2004, relying on the National Engineering Research Center for Electric Bus Integration Technology established within the company, Ankai began researching hydrogen fuel cell bus technologies.

In 2017, Ankai undertook the major science and technology project in Anhui Province, "Research, Development, and Demonstration Application of Hydrogen Fuel Cell City Buses." Today, leveraging its unique National Engineering Research Center for Electric Bus Integration Technology and National Postdoctoral Research Workstation, Ankai has developed hydrogen fuel cell buses suitable for various environments, working conditions, and long service life, continuously driving the development of hydrogen fuel cell buses with cutting-edge technology.

Chen Shundong, Deputy General Manager of Anhui Ankai Automobile Co., Ltd., said, "During the research and development of hydrogen fuel cell projects, Ankai invests nearly one hundred million yuan in research and development each year. We collaborate with Tsinghua University and Hefei University of Technology, introducing advanced technologies from universities for industrialization, further promoting hydrogen energy products to enter the market faster."

From the laboratory to market application, Ankai has opened up a path for transforming scientific research achievements into practical applications. Currently, Ankai has completed the series development of hydrogen fuel cell products ranging from 8 to 12 meters, with nearly 60 "Ankai-made" hydrogen buses operating in Anhui every day. The company has also made multiple technological breakthroughs in hydrogen energy bus motors, electronic controls, vehicle system integration, intelligent networking, and other aspects. The operating mileage of Ankai's hydrogen energy buses that have been put into operation has exceeded 250,000 kilometers.

Piloting and Testing, Establishing a Business Model for Hydrogen Buses

In December 2019, the first batch of Ankai's 8.5-meter hydrogen fuel cell buses was deployed on the 301 bus route in Lu'an, becoming the first hydrogen energy bus demonstration route in Anhui Province. Given their efficient operational performance, in August 2020, Lu'an once again introduced a batch of Ankai's 10.5-meter hydrogen fuel cell buses for operation on bus routes.

In January 2024, Hefei's first hydrogen fuel cell bus route was officially opened for operation, with the first batch of 23 Ankai E9 hydrogen buses put into demonstration applications, achieving a breakthrough in hydrogen energy and helping Hefei accelerate its transformation into a "New Energy Vehicle Capital" with global influence.

In April 2024, the public transportation system in Lu'an, Anhui, welcomed an update again, with the fourth batch of 20 hydrogen fuel cell buses put into operation, laying a solid and distinct green foundation for expanding the territory of low-carbon travel. Designed specifically to enhance the environmental performance of urban public transportation systems, Ankai's hydrogen fuel cell buses will all be deployed on the 301 bus route in Lu'an, contributing to a bluer sky, greener mountains, and clearer water in the city and promoting a qualitative leap in local bus services from "quantitative change" to "qualitative change."

"The bus has a driving range of 400 kilometers after a single hydrogen fueling and only requires 10 minutes for fueling, fully meeting the high-intensity transportation requirements of city buses," said the technical leader of Ankai. Ankai's hydrogen fuel cell buses adopt high-power fuel cell systems and efficient wheel-edge drive systems. The low-floor structure inside the bus provides a more spacious interior, satisfying the requirements for low-floor, low-entry accessible transportation.

Additionally, Ankai's hydrogen fuel cell buses are equipped with multiple intelligent assisted driving technologies, excelling in environmental perception, warning, driving behavior perception, and error prevention control, fully meeting the application requirements of various scenarios. The entire vehicle is also equipped with safety precautions such as hydrogen leak monitoring, hydrogen accumulation prevention, and ventilation and dilution, ensuring the safety of the vehicle during operation.

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