South Wales hydrogen powered vehicle trial establishes local hydrogen ecosystem

Automotive and green energy developer First Hydrogen is set to roll out hydrogen-powered vehicle trials with gas distribution network, Wales & West Utilities (WWU).

First Hydrogen’s hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle (FCEV) will operate from WWU’s Swansea depot, within its fleet of vehicles used by network engineers to make customer call outs and undertake repair and maintenance work across Wales and south west England.

The trial will assess the performance of the hydrogen-powered van compared to existing battery electric vehicles in the WWU fleet. The hydrogen vehicle in use is expected to offer significant advantages with respect to range, payload towing and faster refuelling.

The trial is supported by green hydrogen producer, Protium Green Solutions and hydrogen services company, Hyppo Hydrogen Solutions, which will help develop a mobile hydrogen ecosystem to support WWU's operations.

WWU is also exploring how hydrogen can be used to power homes and businesses across its region.

First Hydrogen’s previous FCEV trials have been located near existing hydrogen fuel stations, but this trial will demonstrate what’s needed to develop refuelling in areas that lack the necessary infrastructure. Using Hyppo Hydrogen Solutions’ mobile refuelling service and green hydrogen produced by electrolysis using renewable power from Protium Green Solutions, enables WWU to refuel close to its depot in Swansea rather than requiring its engineer to travel to a public station.

Steve Gill, CEO Automotive at First Hydrogen, said, “We’re delighted to be working with Wales & West Utilities and, not only trial the vehicles in Wales, but also form partnerships that will establish a local hydrogen ecosystem. The WWU team share our belief that hydrogen could help deliver carbon-free transport. Particularly for fleets that require longer uptime, better range and heavier payloads than BEVs can offer as well as towing capacity - 75% of WWU’s fleet are equipped to tow yet few BEVs have suitable capability. Hydrogen is high on WWU’s corporate agenda, through laying pipelines and upgrading the network in preparation for transitioning and it is exciting to see that the whole company is engaged with our trial."

Stephen Offley, Transport Manager at Wales & West Utilities, said, “We are confident that hydrogen will play a fundamental role in delivering low-cost green energy as we move away from fossil fuels. Hydrogen can be produced from renewables in the UK, as Protium is already demonstrating, and supplied through many of the gas pipelines that we already use."

Will Stinton, Director of Asset Management at Protium, commented, “This trial s an excellent opportunity to showcase the capability of green hydrogen in fleet operations. Our experience in supporting transport trials has shown us that fuel cell vehicles have an important role to play in meeting zero emission targets – it is fantastic to work with an organisation like WWU to explore how FCEVs can decarbonise their operations."

Chris Foxall, CEO at Hyppo Hydrogen Solutions, said, “This trial brings together the entire hydrogen value chain and is a testament to the power of working in partnership. Hyppo is already a fleet operator of fuel cell vehicles and is delighted to see the benefits of First Hydrogen’s FCEVs first-hand and to assist WWU with its move towards hydrogen transport.”