Police cars and taxis to move to zero-emissions in £8.8m government boost
Police cars and taxis are among the next vehicles to be hydrogen-powered in a government bid to switch more vehicles to zero-emission males.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has injected £8.8m into the development of hydrogen-powered vehicles, with police cars and taxis among the first to benefit from the boost.
The zero-emission programme aims to increase the number of hydrogen cars on UK roads this summer by improving access to hydrogen refuelling stations in areas such as Southwark, Isleworth, Birmingham and Derby.
Element Energy won the winning programme, capitalising on expertise from ITM Power, Shell, Toyota, Honda and Hyundai.
Roads minister Jesse Norman said:
Decarbonising our roads is an essential part of meeting our climate targets. The innovative new technologies involved present great opportunities for our increasingly low carbon economy.
Hydrogen has huge potential, especially for those making longer journeys and clocking up high mileage. That is what makes this project truly exciting. Not only is it demonstrating the technology in action, but it is also developing the refuelling infrastructure needed for the future.
The hydrogen-powered cars will be used by emergency services such as the Metropolitan Police, as well as Green Tomato Cars and Europcar.
Oliver Bishop, General Manager of Hydrogen at Shell, said:
Hydrogen has the potential to become a significant part of the transport mix in a low-carbon future. Central to this success is collaboration between the government, energy companies, OEMs and technology experts to create the infrastructure to make access to new fuel options viable. At Shell, we are delighted to be part of the latest infrastructure funding effort, and to help drive forward the UK’s hydrogen refuelling network.
The £8.8 million grant will be matched by a further £13.1 million investment from the companies and other sources. The project will involve the procurement of new vehicles, construction of new stations and upgrades to existing stations.