Shanghai (ZXZC)- A city cluster led by Shanghai and formed for pilot application of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) has become one of China’s first conurbations authorized for FCV demonstration, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization (SMCEI) announced on August 26 via its WeChat account.

SAIC Maxus EUNIQ 7 fuel cell MPV; photo credit: SAIC Maxus

The approval was jointly given by five agencies under China's State Council, namely, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the National Energy Administration.

In addition to Shanghai, the city cluster encompasses Jiangsu province's Suzhou and Nantong cities, Jiaxing city in Zhejiang province, Zibo city in Shandong province, the Ningdong Energy-chemical Industry Base in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Ordos city in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

According to the SMCEI, the Shanghai-led city cluster will focus on the FCV pilot application in “mid-/long haul +mid-/heavy-duty trucks” scenarios, and strive to make breakthroughs in a number of FCV-related core components, roll out high-end FCV models, and hammer out relevant industrial standards.

The commission also revealed that a strategic goal has been set for the city cluster, which aims to plan and build nearly 100 hydrogen filling stations, output annual industrial value of 100 billion yuan ($15.429 billion), and deploy nearly 10,000 FCVs by 2025.

Before Shanghai's announcement, the Beijing Municipal Finance Bureau said several days ago a Beijing-led city cluster was also included in China’s first FCV demonstration conurbations. During the four-year demonstration period, it will be rewarded by the State Council according to its fulfillment of targets.