Despite Western skepticism, China's hydrogen sector shows accelerated progress across vehicles, components, and infrastructure, with growing commercial deployments.
While Europe continues to cast doubt and the U.S. hesitates to fully back hydrogen, China is rapidly advancing hydrogen fuel cell mobility—from logistics and mining to public services and private rental. At the 2025 International Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Vehicle Conference held in Shanghai from June 18–20, nearly 300 domestic and international companies showcased end-to-end solutions for the hydrogen transport value chain.
One of the centerpieces: a new-generation hydrogen fuel cell passenger car with a 700 km range and a refueling time of just 5 minutes—up from 550 km in the previous model. Also on display was the world’s first hydrogen-electric hybrid car, capable of running on either electricity or hydrogen, having already surpassed 10,000 km in demonstration runs.
GAC high-performance fuel cell stack
Technology Breakthroughs Across the Stack
Key components of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) also showed major leaps in Chinese innovation:
Fuel cell stack: Designed by a domestic manufacturer, self-starts at –30°C and offers >10,000 hours lifespan.
Catalyst materials: New mesoporous structure boosts stability, durability, and performance by 10–15%.
Bipolar plates: Using a titanium-carbon composite and new coating techniques, lifetime surpasses 30,000 hours with costs reduced by over 30%.
"We’ve achieved substantial breakthroughs across the chain—from hydrogen production and refueling to material science and system integration," said Zhao Lijin, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Society of Automotive Engineers.
World’s Largest Hydrogen-Powered Mining Truck Unveiled
In a headline-grabbing debut, the world’s largest hydrogen-powered mining truck—a 260-ton behemoth—was rolled out at the event.
Specs: Equipped with five 200-kW fuel cell systems storing up to 236 kg of hydrogen.
Use case: Carries 118 cubic meters of ore—equal to 30 passenger vehicles.
“Running all day, this truck cuts 3,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually and can save ¥30 million [$4.1M] over its lifecycle at ¥25/kg hydrogen,” said Ren Yahui, Chairman of Shanghai Hydrogen Energy Group.
Applications Expand: From Freight to Sanitation
China’s transport ecosystem is absorbing FCEVs at speed. As demonstration policies take hold, hydrogen vehicles are now common in:
Trunk logistics: 20 hydrogen-powered 49-ton trucks haul steel across a 700 km route between Tianjin and Wu'an, logging 1.2 million km and cutting 1,100 tons of CO₂.
Cold chain logistics in Guangdong: Fuel cell refrigerated trucks with 90-kW systems average 200 km per day.
Urban services: Hydrogen-powered vehicles are now operating in rental fleets, municipal sanitation, and engineering machinery.
GAC AION LX Fuel Cell hydrogen fuel cell passenger car
“This may be an inflection point,” said Ouyang Minggao, Chair of the International Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association. “We’re seeing hydrogen mobility drive the broader hydrogen economy.”