In August 2026, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Finance, and National Development and Reform Commission jointly issued a notice on launching comprehensive hydrogen energy application pilots, approving five urban clusters, including the Xinjiang-Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, to undertake four-year trials. This marks a strategic shift for the nation's hydrogen sector, moving beyond fuel cell vehicle demonstrations toward a broader scale-up integrating both transportation and industrial applications.
As one of the twin engines driving the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, Chengdu is advancing its hydrogen industry through a "chain-building and strength-enhancing" strategy. By prioritizing technological innovation and high-end equipment manufacturing, the city is developing a complete ecosystem spanning basic research, technical breakthroughs, industrial conversion, and scenario deployment across the entire hydrogen value chain of production, storage, transportation, refueling, and utilization. This integrated approach is generating a virtuous cycle where large-scale terminal applications fuel industrial supply improvements, positioning Chengdu as the core engine for western China's hydrogen sector while laying the foundation for a national-level hydrogen demonstration city.
Where the momentum stands
Chengdu is now home to more than 100 hydrogen-related enterprises, including 51 industrial firms above designated scale, 65 national high-tech companies, 11 national-level "Little Giant" specialized enterprises, and 7 publicly listed firms. In 2025, the sector's industrial revenue above designated scale reached 19.06 billion yuan, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 18 percent over the past five years. The city has carved a distinctive competitive edge through robust revenue growth, core equipment manufacturing capabilities, and diversified demonstration projects, firmly establishing itself among the nation's first-tier hydrogen industry hubs.
On the road, Chengdu has deployed nearly 1,500 fuel cell commercial vehicles with cumulative operations exceeding 5.5 million kilometers. This fleet includes 680 medium and heavy-duty logistics trucks, 250 cold-chain vehicles, 150 urban delivery vans, 80 dump trucks, 20 sanitation vehicles, and over 300 public transit buses. The city operates eight hydrogen refueling stations, each with a daily capacity exceeding 500 kilograms, covering six key districts, with terminal hydrogen prices holding steady at 30 yuan per kilogram.
Along the Chengdu-Chongqing "Hydrogen Corridor," the two regions have jointly built 41 refueling stations and promoted over 2,000 fuel cell vehicles, handling an annual freight volume exceeding 220 million tonnes. Transport operators are already seeing measurable savings: on a typical route from Chengdu to Panzhihua, a hydrogen-powered heavy truck's fuel costs come in under 1,300 yuan per trip, saving between 600 and 800 yuan compared with diesel alternatives. Combined with Sichuan's full toll waiver for hydrogen vehicles on expressways, each one-way journey saves an additional 1,800 yuan in road fees, translating to net savings of roughly 2,400 yuan per trip. The economic case for hydrogen trucks is increasingly shifting from policy-driven adoption toward market-led demand.
Mapping the road ahead
With national pilot targets locked into view, Chengdu's strategic path is sharply defined: by 2030, the city aims to transform the Chengdu-Chongqing Hydrogen Corridor into a national exemplar for innovative hydrogen industry development. Industry forecasts project China's hydrogen market will surpass 1 trillion yuan by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Seizing this window, Chengdu is mobilizing with exceptional urgency, facilitating precise collaboration between hydrogen equipment suppliers, logistics operators, and financial institutions. Products such as "hydrogen vehicle loans" and "hydrogen vehicle insurance" are steadily lowering market entry barriers, while industrial applications such as hydrogen-based metallurgy and green ammonia-methanol production are accelerating toward breakthrough. A talent cultivation framework integrating industry and academia is meanwhile reinforcing the sector's long-term foundation.
Going forward, the city's industrial and information technology authorities have indicated that Chengdu will maintain its focus on building a complete hydrogen supply chain, anchored by the broader Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle initiative. The city plans to harness the national pilot opportunity to concentrate on fuel cell vehicles, green ammonia, hydrogen blending combustion, and innovative application scenarios. Through systematic planning, full-chain coordination, and citywide deployment, Chengdu is accelerating high-quality hydrogen development, aiming to become the primary equipment and technology supply base for hydrogen production, storage, transport, and refueling across the urban cluster, the benchmark city for fuel cell vehicle deployment in western China, a leader in hydrogen highway development, and a dual-core hub for innovation scenarios across the entire hydrogen value chain.