▲ Tucson FCEV

Chungcheongnam-do is pushing through with the fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) project in earnest with the aim of creating a new industrial structure based on FCEVs to cope with the rapidly changing world economic environment.

 

Absolute necessity of FCEV industry

Countries are showing heightened interest in FCEVs amid the strengthening of environment-friendly policies worldwide and the rapid changes in the basis of the energy industry. As an environment-friendly fuel, hydrogen provides the basis of future strategic industries.


According to an analysis made by the Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Government, the market for FCEVs will be in full swing this year, and its size will grow drastically by 2025. FCEVs are also expected to be popularized by 2030, accounting for about 30% of the vehicle market by 2050.

Such phenomenon is seen to cause a change in the overall industrial structure. Experts predict the advent of an age when the hydrogen fuel cells are used for power supply and the wide use of hydrogen fuel reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 2.1 million tons per year.

 

Commercialization of FCEV parts, supporting the domestic hydrogen industry

Chungcheongnam-do is an optimal location for the commercialization of FCEV parts in conjunction with the automotive industrial infrastructure in the Province.

Home to two car factories and 664 car parts businesses, it also has frontline and backline industries associated with the automotive industry like information technology, iron/steel, and chemical industries, automotive parts-related research institutes, and 13 relevant colleges. This means that the Province has the capacity to develop superior hydrogen vehicle parts.

Each year, 580,000 cars, which account for 14% of the country's entire production, are produced in the Province. The Daesan Petrochemical Complex and the iron & steel works in Dangjin produce 169,000 tons of hydrogen, accounting for 12.1% of the country's entire production.

The Province's geographical proximity to China, the largest car market in the world, enhances its advantage as the center for related logistics operation.

 

Establishment of a hydrogen ecosystem


Chungcheongnam-do plans to develop areas with excellent industrial ecosystem specializing in specific sectors and encourage them to collaborate with each other.

The Province strives to develop vehicle parts and establish an R&D center and a parts certification center, utilizing its existing excellent ecosystem associated with the vehicle parts industry.

Chungcheongnam-do is forecast to develop as a Mecca of the FCEV parts industry, and such efforts will help develop the country's entire hydrogen industry.

 

Stressed the development of FCEV parts industry at Seoul motor show

Governor An Heejung stressed the need to find a new growth engine for the automotive industry amid the rapid changes in the world market, referring to the automotive parts industry along with the display industry as a core industry of his province at the Seoul Motor Show 2015 held on April 3 in KINTEX, Goyang.

In connection with the governor's pronouncements, it is expected that, upon its selection by the government as a project subject to preliminary feasibility study, the FCEV project will go a long way in strengthening the global competitiveness of local businesses as well as job creation, attraction of the relevant businesses to the Province, and positive synergistic effects on other relevant industries, thereby playing the role of a future growth engine.

For the next five years (2016-2020), Chungcheongnam-do plans to invest a total of 232.4 billion won in the Project for commercialization of FCEV parts and bolstering of its industrial basis, which will include the following: establishment of research/certification centers; establishment of hydrogen stations (in five places); provision of the relevant equipment, testing of parts in actual vehicles; development of technology for improving the performance of parts, and; training of experts specializing in parts development.