This Wednesday, the President of the Republic, Gabriel Boric Font, participated in the launch of the first hydrogen bus made in Chile, designed, developed and manufactured entirely in the country thanks to a public-private partnership.

The project, led by Colbun, Anglo American and Reborn Electric Motors, was supported by the Sustainable Productive Development Program led by the Ministry of Economy, through Corfo and its funding line Corfo Crea y Valida, an instrument that co-finances the development of new or improved products or processes that require research and development.

In the company of the Minister of Mining, Aurora Williams; the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Juan Carlos Muñoz; the Minister of Energy, Diego Pardow; the Executive Vice-President of Corfo, José Miguel Benavente; the Executive President of Anglo American in Chile, Patricio Hidalgo; the CEO of Colbún, José Ignacio Escobar; and the co-founder and CTO of Reborn Electric Motors, Ricardo Repenning, the President emphasized that “public-private collaboration allows us to take better advantage of Chile’s great potential. Our country can grow more than the forecasts estimate and can develop in an inclusive and sustainable way under the wing of the energy transformation that the world needs. We are strategic allies in this path”.

“This first hydrogen bus is an example of concrete results of what is being generated from the National Strategy for Sustainable Productive Development for Chile. We have an unprecedented window of opportunity, the energy transformation, not only for Chile but for the world”, emphasized the Head of State, who also highlighted that to date more than $400 billion have been directed from the DPS Program to support innovative projects, developed by scientific teams, unions and more than 1,500 companies benefited, mostly SMEs, which are committed to a greener economy.

He added: “The bus we are presenting today is a tangible example of the path we should and can follow as a country: more environmental protection and well-being for families, more productivity, efficiency and added value for our economy. That is what we want for Chile.

The first hydrogen bus made in Chile, a total investment of more than 800 million pesos, also had the collaboration of the Chile Foundation and the National Piloting Center for Mining. The objective of the project was to develop and validate through rolling tests a hydrogen-based passenger transport bus to operate in mining.

The bus will begin testing in 2025 on different routes, and will then be demonstrated in communities and educational institutions. Its autonomy is up to 600 kilometers, combining hydrogen and battery charging.

These are the characteristics of the new hydrogen bus

-It will have capacity for 24 passengers.

-Its autonomy is up to 600 kilometers, combining hydrogen and battery charging.

-Maximum speed of 90 km/h.

-Dimensions: 8.5 meters long, 2.4 meters wide and 3.4 meters high.

-Fuel storage tanks with an approximate capacity of 20 kg, which will allow it to operate in various environments, both industrial and urban and rural.