Occurring this Monday, December 23 around 11:15 a.m., the incident occurred in the Mokhaeng-dong district, in the city of Chungju, approximately 150 km southeast of Seoul. According to local media, a warning light indicating a problem with the fuel cell had appeared on the vehicle's dashboard since last weekend. If Hyundai had recommended that the operator take the vehicle to a maintenance center, a final refueling had to be done to complete the journey. From what we understand, the bus was traveling without service at the time of the explosion, with no passengers on board.
It was after filling the tanks at the station, around ten seconds after starting the engine, that an explosion was heard. This was triggered at the rear of the bus, where the fuel cell is located. From what the media reports and what the images show, the reservoirs were not impacted.
According to Korean media, the explosion seriously injured an employee in his thirties, who was hit in the face by debris. The driver and a mechanic, present at the scene, also suffered facial burns following the blast from the explosion.
Hydrogen buses shut down
Manufactured by Hyundai, the bus was put into service in August 2022. As a precautionary measure, city authorities suspended the entire fleet of hydrogen buses. Classic in this type of accident, this precautionary measure had already been adopted a few years ago in Paris following fires that occurred on Bolloré electric buses.
Several agencies, including Hyundai, the Korea Gas Safety Corporation, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority and the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, are working together to establish the precise causes of the explosion.
