Post by Lee on Mar 8, 2023 8:38:20 GMT
The UK will have a nationwide network of hydrogen refuelling stations operational at the end of this year as plans by British start-up Element 2 take effect. The Skipton-based company has been building its business plan since 2019 and in the next few months will move to the operational phase with five sites open, followed by 30 further locations “operational or under construction” by the end of the year.
“Then we should be able to say to fleet operators that we have a national network with about 100 miles between stops, which in a vehicle with a range of between 300 and 400 miles isn't a problem logistically,” said Brendan Bilton, chief technology officer at Element 2.
Initialy the focus will be to service heavy trucks and light commercial vehicles, however private cars such as the BMW iX5 Hydrogen, Toyota Mirai and the Hyundai Nexo will be able to use Element 2’s pumping technology.
“The important detail is that our refuelling equipment is compatible with car fuel cells, so we will be ready when fuel-cell cars come to the market. But recently we’ve adjusted our forecasts and brought forward demand from light commercials ahead of private cars,” said Bilton.
Trucks and buses are the number-one priority for Element 2’s hydrogen, because the 600,000 trucks daily operating in the UK contribute 18% to road transport emissions, on top of this there is also a better business case for refuelling stations focused on trucks and buses as a truck typically consumes 50kg of hydrogen per day, a bus 20kg and a car just 1kg. Given that 1kg of hydrogen currently costs £15 including 20% VAT (but no fuel duty), just 1000 trucks pivoting to hydrogen would generate £750,000 of revenue per day.
The hydrogen fuel cell has been a "tomorrow’s technology" since the mid-1990s but it is the Carbon Zero policies that have accelerated their introduction in heavy trucks and no doubt light commercial vans and pick-ups will follow the trend.
Battery-electric technology will be part of the solution, with Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant moving solely to electric van production – but the range and speed of refuelling of fuel cells is attractive to many.
Tevva, the British start-up based in Tilbury, Essex, is selling a 7.5-tonne Hydrogen Electric model, combining a 5kg 350bar hydrogen fuel-cell range-extender with a 112kWh battery for 354 mile range, more than doubling the electric-only range. American firm Nikola is planning to launch in Europe in 2024, while established truck makers like Iveco, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volvo are also working on hydrogen technology.
Lower down the weight scale, Toyota is partnering with Ricardo using funding from the government’s Advanced Propulsion Centre to develop a fuel cell Hilux pick-up truck, with small-scale production planned at the Burnaston plant in Derbyshire. Given that pre-pandemic UK sales of pick-ups were averaging 53,000 per year and light commercials around 300,000 per year, the opportunities to decarbonise with fuel-cell vehicles alongside BEVs are enticing.
“Then we should be able to say to fleet operators that we have a national network with about 100 miles between stops, which in a vehicle with a range of between 300 and 400 miles isn't a problem logistically,” said Brendan Bilton, chief technology officer at Element 2.
Initialy the focus will be to service heavy trucks and light commercial vehicles, however private cars such as the BMW iX5 Hydrogen, Toyota Mirai and the Hyundai Nexo will be able to use Element 2’s pumping technology.
“The important detail is that our refuelling equipment is compatible with car fuel cells, so we will be ready when fuel-cell cars come to the market. But recently we’ve adjusted our forecasts and brought forward demand from light commercials ahead of private cars,” said Bilton.
Trucks and buses are the number-one priority for Element 2’s hydrogen, because the 600,000 trucks daily operating in the UK contribute 18% to road transport emissions, on top of this there is also a better business case for refuelling stations focused on trucks and buses as a truck typically consumes 50kg of hydrogen per day, a bus 20kg and a car just 1kg. Given that 1kg of hydrogen currently costs £15 including 20% VAT (but no fuel duty), just 1000 trucks pivoting to hydrogen would generate £750,000 of revenue per day.
The hydrogen fuel cell has been a "tomorrow’s technology" since the mid-1990s but it is the Carbon Zero policies that have accelerated their introduction in heavy trucks and no doubt light commercial vans and pick-ups will follow the trend.
Battery-electric technology will be part of the solution, with Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant moving solely to electric van production – but the range and speed of refuelling of fuel cells is attractive to many.
Tevva, the British start-up based in Tilbury, Essex, is selling a 7.5-tonne Hydrogen Electric model, combining a 5kg 350bar hydrogen fuel-cell range-extender with a 112kWh battery for 354 mile range, more than doubling the electric-only range. American firm Nikola is planning to launch in Europe in 2024, while established truck makers like Iveco, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volvo are also working on hydrogen technology.
Lower down the weight scale, Toyota is partnering with Ricardo using funding from the government’s Advanced Propulsion Centre to develop a fuel cell Hilux pick-up truck, with small-scale production planned at the Burnaston plant in Derbyshire. Given that pre-pandemic UK sales of pick-ups were averaging 53,000 per year and light commercials around 300,000 per year, the opportunities to decarbonise with fuel-cell vehicles alongside BEVs are enticing.
