Weichai fuels city's green transformation

Weichai Power, a leading Chinese powertrain producer based in the Weifang Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, has been ramping up efforts to make greater contributions to the green development of Weifang.

A bus fleet consisting of 200 hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles was rolled out to residents in Weifang on Aug 27, injecting new energy into the city's efforts to promote stronger, greener and healthier urban development.

Weichai Power's newly developed new energy powertrain systems were installed on the buses. The buses can travel 350 kilometers on a single charge, according to local officials.

Weifang has built five hydrogen refueling stations, and the city is also home to more hydrogen buses than any other city in the world.

Weichai Power not only leads the industry in the promotion and demonstration of hydrogen buses, but also actively distributes hydrogen power for a full series of commercial vehicles.

Since 2010, Weichai Power has invested 4 billion yuan ($578.4 million) in the layout of the new energy business. It has set up a research and development team with independent innovation capabilities, built one of the world's largest R&D and manufacturing bases consisting of 20,000 hydrogen fuel cell engines, and made a large number of innovations with independent intellectual property rights and industrialization of the entire fuel cell industry chain.

The National Center for Fuel Cell Technology Innovation was recently launched in Weifang. The center, supported by Weichai Power, will bring together enterprises, universities, research institutes and end users, while refining the equity-based incentive mechanisms for scientific and technological advances.

The National Center for Fuel Cell Technology Innovation makes its debut on Aug 27 in Weifang to support the city's green development. CHINA DAILY