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Hyundai Rotem unveiled the “K-hydrogen tram” prototype at a Monday event at its Changwon factory in South Gyeongsang Province. (provided by Hyundai Rotem)

A hydrogen-fueled tram — described as a “mobile air purifier” — has been developed by a South Korean company.

Hyundai Rotem unveiled the “K-hydrogen tram” prototype at a Monday event at its Changwon factory in South Gyeongsang Province, with Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Sung Yun-mo and South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo in attendance.

Hyundai Rotem’s hydrogen-powered tram prototype consists of three cars and can carry up to 100 people at one time. The trams use the same hydrogen fuel cell module as Hyundai Motor’s NEXO, along with a high-pressure hydrogen tank designed for hydrogen-powered buses and a lithium-ion propulsion battery for trains.

In particular, the hydrogen tank can withstand twice as much pressure as others being developed in France and elsewhere, which means that twice as much hydrogen can be contained in a tank the same size.

The prototype can travel 150 kilometers (km) at 70km/hr on a full 42-kilogram tank of hydrogen. It can be piloted remotely or manually.

A digital illustration of the “K-hydrogen tram” (provided by Hyundai Rotem)

Hyundai Rotem plans to make improvements to the hydrogen-powered tram’s performance while carrying out test runs between March 2022 and late 2023 on a 4.6-kilometer stretch of Ulsan’s existing Ulsanhang Line between Taehwagang and Ulsanhang Stations. It also plans to pursue the development of hydrogen-powered trains beginning in 2024 and hydrogen-powered high-speed trains beginning in 2030.

The city of Changwon plans to use the hydrogen-powered trams for its city rail service, which is scheduled to open in 2030.

Trams resemble a cross between buses and trains, running along rails that are located on the road. Like subways, trams are normally powered by electricity supplied through lines installed overhead.

But the hydrogen-powered trams do not require overhead lines since they use hydrogen as fuel. Additionally, the trams produce electricity on their own as oxygen in the air combines with hydrogen, which means they can filter out fine dust and other pollutants as they gather oxygen.

It’s a feature that has earned the trams the nickname of “mobile air purifiers,” raising hopes that they can serve as an economical and eco-friendly form of urban transportation in the future. In addition to South Korea, countries like Japan, France and Germany are also in an intense race to develop hydrogen-powered trams.

Ha Seung-woo, Changwon’s official for hydrogen industry policy, pledged “generous support to enable domestically developed hydrogen-powered trams to lead the global market, including the swift construction of dedicated hydrogen stations for the trams.”

By Choi Sang-won, staff reporter

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