China Introduces Hydrogen-powered Tram
Engineering360 News Desk | April 10, 2015China is investing in a new hydrogen-powered technology in a major way—to the tune of 200 billion yuan, or $32 billion.
A tram running on hydrogen power and reaching a top speed of about 43 miles per hour made its debut in Qingdao in April.
The tram can reach a top speed of 43mph and refuels in around three minutes. Image source: RT.comThe tram is one of the first of its kind; it runs on hydrogen power via onboard fuel cells and only emits water. Refueling takes about three minutes and a three-car train can run for about 62 miles and carry 380 passengers.
The five-year investment will build more than 1,200 miles of track and buy more trams, according to the Xinhua news agency.
The city of Foshan is an early adopter of the new tram. Construction of new tram lines begin later this year. The city invested $72 million in 2014 to build trams locally for nationwide distribution.