DfT supports first large-scale deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric HGVs in the UK

Tees Valley Combined Authority has announced £7m in UK government funding as part of the Tees Valley Hydrogen Transport Hub for hydrogen projects to decarbonise the transport network in the northeast.

Under the Innovate UK managed programme, recipients include over £2.1 million for the Tees Valley Hydrogen Vehicle Ecosystem (HYVE) Consortium, which will showcase the first large-scale deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric HGVs in the UK.

Key partners include Exolum, which will build a publicly accessible green hydrogen refuelling station near Middlesbrough and Novuna Vehicle Solutions, one of the UK’s largest fleet leasing and financing providers and an advocate for zero emission vehicles.

Led by project coordinator ERM, the consortium will support the rollout and maintenance of fleets of fuel cell HGVs within  the Tees Valley starting later this year, together with the construction of Exolum’s publicly accessible refuelling station, near to Middlesbrough town centre and at the intersection of the A19 and A66, will be capable of dispensing up to 1.5 tonnes of hydrogen per day.

As the selected HGV leasing partner within the consortium, Novuna Vehicle Solutions will work alongside German truck manufacturer Quantron to build, fund and manage the in-life maintenance of more than 20 fuel cell electric HGVs ranging from 4.2 to 27 tonnes deployed in the project.

These vehicles, which will be used by some of the region’s largest vehicle operators within the logistics, infrastructure, utilities and home delivery sectors, will replace diesel vehicles, reducing local air pollution and carbon emissions.

Data monitoring and performance evaluation will be provided by the School of Computer Engineering and Digital Technologies at Teesside University, who have extensive experience in the fuel cell field.

Jon Lawes, managing director of Novuna Vehicle Solutions, said, “This project is crucial to removing barriers and addressing the needs of operators at every stage of the ecosystem, in turn realising the commercial viability of hydrogen, at scale, and transforming the heavy transport sector which has been left behind in the road to net zero fleets.

Andreas Haller, CEO and founder of Quantron added “We are building hydrogen vehicles that reflect our commitment to sustainability to set a new environmentally friendly standard for long-haul transportation. We are proud to be a part of this initiative. Bringing our innovative technology to the UK marks a significant step forward in our global strategy and we are delighted to do this in collaboration with our partner Novuna.