Hydrogen trucks are used in Ejin Horoo Banner's short-distance transportation sector. [Photo/ordos.gov.cn]

Ejin Horoo Banner in the city of Ordos in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region is exploring the application of hydrogen energy in its transportation industry.

The banner is currently tying out hydrogen-fueled heavy-duty trucks.

Heavy duty trucks are "big polluters" in the eyes of many people, but hydrogen trucks will not produce carbon dioxide, sulfur or particulate matter, resulting in zero emissions and zero pollution.

Zhang Yanhe, a driver working for Inner Mongolia Shengyuan Ganglian New Energy Operation Co, said he has felt the significant changes brought about by the use of the new trucks.

Zhang's company has a total of 30 hydrogen trucks and 35 electric heavy trucks.

Each new energy vehicle reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 1.2 kg per kilometer compared to conventional vehicles.

The annual mileage of 65 vehicles is about 4.35 million kilometers, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 5,220 metric tons in total.

Construction of supporting facilities for these vehicles has also accelerated in Ejin Horoo Banner.

At the banner's Guodian smart skid-mounted hydrogen refueling station, it takes less than half an hour to fill up one hydrogen truck.

The station can fill 20 logistics vehicles or 15 heavy trucks every day, and a single heavy truck filled with hydrogen can reach a cruising range of nearly 200 kilometers under full load.

According to statistics, Ordos is currently home to 180,000 short and medium-distance coal transportation vehicles and 150,000 construction trucks.

The use of hydrogen heavy trucks for short-distance transportation has great potential in the city.