Li Jianqiu, deputy director of the Department of Automotive Engineering at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said the country is a world leader in the new energy sector.

"Despite a late start, China has made rapid progress in hydrogen development, mastering the core technologies of the hydrogen fuel cell. Last year, we produced more than 1,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles; the most made by any country in a single year," he said.

Statistics published by the Society of Automotive Engineers of China last year suggest that there will be about 1 million fuel cell vehicles on the nation's roads by 2030. Meanwhile, the Hydrogen Council estimates that by 2030 the number of hydrogen-powered cars in the world will be between 10 and 15 million, while there will be 500,000 new energy trucks.

To support the rise of such vehicles, China has 12 hydrogen fueling stations in operation, and 19 more are under construction across the country. Eventually, the number will exceed 100, according to Li.

Han Xiaoping, chief information officer at China Energy Net Consulting, expressed high hopes about the development of hydrogen technologies.

"With its rapid industrialization, urbanization and economic growth since the 1990s, China has become the world's largest producer and consumer of energy, and also the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. We see hydrogen as a promising alternative fuel," he said.

That optimism is reflected in a development plan published in January by the government of Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, which outlined plans to become a "hydrogen city" via the development of the new energy sector.

A hydrogen energy industrial park will be built in the city to provide a home for more than 100 automakers whose vehicles run on hydrogen fuel cells, and related businesses.

In addition, the city will build up to 20 hydrogen fueling stations by 2020 to support the use of about 3,000 vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel-cells, the plan said.

Obstacles

However, despite the push to promote hydrogen energy and fuel cell vehicles, a number of obstacles could hinder their development and wholesale adoption.

"The government has outlined plans to encourage the development of hydrogen energy and fuel cell vehicles, but the national and local policies aren't specific or strong enough to give the industry clear guidance and greater confidence," said Liu Jihong, director of the Foton AUV Bus Research Institute, one of China's largest manufacturers of buses powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

Two years ago, the National Energy Administration and National Development and Reform Commission released The Revolutionary Innovation Plan on Energy Technology from 2016 to 2030, which lists the development of hydrogen energy and fuel cell vehicles as one of 15 tasks designed to facilitate the energy transition. Despite that, the government has not released any detailed plans or guidelines to coordinate and manage resources in the industry, according to Liu.