5 days ago
Saudi Arabia's NEOM holds successful trial of Hydrogen-powered bus
South Korean automaker Hyundai has successfully carried out the trial of a hydrogen-powered bus service in NEOM, the futuristic city under development in northwest Saudi Arabia. According to Hyundai, this was the first time a hydrogen-powered vehicle was deployed in the high-altitude mountain topography of Trojena within NEOM.
The trial was carried out using a Hyundai UNIVERSE Fuel Cell bus, which operated successfully at elevations up to 2,080 meters in Trojena.
NEOM and Hyundai Motor Group had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in September 2024 to bring next-generation zero-emission mobility solutions to one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects undertaken anywhere in the world.
Announced by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in 2017, NEOM is located in the Tabuk Province of Saudi Arabia. NEOM was part of MBS's Saudi Vision 2030, an ambitious plan to diversify the kingdom's oil-dependent economy to a global tourism, tech, and trade hub.
Once completed, NEOM will be home to several attractions, including Trojena, the first outdoor ski resort in the Gulf region, aiming to be a year-round adventure hub.
NEOM will also have a luxury island, Sindalah, covering a total area of 9 million sq ft, which is designed to be a superyacht destination in the Middle East.
However, the most talked about and controversial part of NEOM remains 'The Line', a linear smart city which is 170 km long, 500 meters tall, and only 200 meters wide.
The Line has been described as a car-free, carbon-neutral, smart city powered by renewable energy, housing 9 million people.
Though NEOM was part of MBS's Saudi Vision 2030, the construction has been delayed multiple times, and many believe that the megaproject won't be completed in 2030.
NEOM has also suffered cost overruns from the initial estimate of $500 billion to $8.8 trillion, making many question the viability of the entire project.
