Hexagon Purus Type IV systems to be incorporated into double-decker buses, onboard maritime storage

Hexagon Purus (Ålesund, Norway), a division of Hexagon Composites (Ålesund), continues to lead developments in hydrogen storage. Recently, CIMC-HEXAGON, a joint venture company between CIMC Enric (Shenzhen, China) and Hexagon Purus, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with bus operator Bravo Transport Services (Hong Kong, China) and Hexagon Purus Maritime received its inaugural order for cylinders to be used in onboard storage of hydrogen in maritime vessels.

Bravo serves more than one million passenger trips each day in Hong Kong with its fleet of more than 1,700 transit buses, the majority of which are double-decker buses. The initial scope of the MOU is for CIMC-HEXAGON to provide a Type IV hydrogen storage cylinder system for the first fuel cell double-decker bus in Hong Kong with scheduled delivery in July 2022. In parallel, and subject to relevant approval from local authorities, Bravo and CIMC-HEXAGON will work together to develop more fuel-cell double decker-buses for trial.

Beyond the initial phase, both companies intend to continue working together to develop safe and high-performance Type IV hydrogen storage cylinder systems. The final agreement is subject to certain terms and conditions.

“We believe that hydrogen fuel cell technology is a viable alternative for Hong Kong’s operating environment,” a spokesperson for Bravo Transport notes. “We are excited to hear about the government’s plan to test hydrogen bus technology and we believe that we are well-positioned to assist in this project given our previous international operating experience of this technology and our new partnership.”

Beverly Yang, general manager of CIMC Hydrogen and deputy general manager of CIMC Enric adds that the joint venture between CIMC-HEXAGON in cooperation with CIMC Hydrogen puts them in a unique position to provide a full hydrogen solution.

On the other end, Hexagon Purus Maritime will enable the use of its Type IV hydrogen cylinders onboard swappable storage containers for maritime vessels operating in the inland waterways in Europe. The value of the order is approximately €1.1 million (approx. NOK 11 million). Delivery of the cylinders are scheduled for Q4 2022.

“Our Type IV high-pressure cylinders are at the core of what we do and with their corrosion resistance and long lifetime, the cylinders enable lower operational cost and total cost of ownership, which makes them ideal for maritime applications,” Robert Haugen, managing director of Hexagon Purus Maritime, notes. “This order represents an important commercial milestone for Hexagon Purus Maritime and lends further credence to our maritime strategy.”