RE: News today8 Jan 2021 08:28
In his recent communication with Prime Minister Mishustin, President Putin asked the government to introduce hydrogen transit buses by 2023. Putin has sited the concerns about saving the environment through the expansion of clean transportation. Putin also suggested that hydrogen locomotives can follow suit. He cited Russia’s success with using compressed natural gas for transportation, an effort started a few years back to create a larger market space for natural gas furnished by Gazprom. The city of Moscow is actively deploying electric buses for its services and adding hydrogen buses to the mix seems natural. Fuel cell buses have the advantage of being relatively sturdy in cold Russia environments, while their electric brethren might experience significant driving range reduction as temperatures drop during winters. Not only batteries drop in their capacity but also heating reduces the range. While hydrogen trucks were not mentioned specifically as a target, but their introduction is also possible if hydrogen infrastructure can be strategically deployed. Both buses and locomotives, on the other hand, would require rather limited need for hydrogen infrastructure—just at their destination depots.