Hydrogen UK report calls for viable hydrogen network by 2030

A new industry report calls for a coordinated, national hydrogen transport strategy to support the UK’s decarbonisation and path to net zero.

The Hydrogen Transport Benchmarking report, undertaken by Hydrogen UK and its members, makes three key recommendations to government to ensure the successful implementation of hydrogen within the UK transport sector.

British electric vehicle manufacturer Tevva has secured government plug-in truck grant eligibility for its 7.5t battery-electric truck, giving fleets a potential £16,000 discount.

To be eligible for the grant, trucks that weigh between 5-12 tonnes must have a CO2 emissions figure of at least 50 per cent less than the conventional equivalent vehicle that can carry the same capacity and can travel at least 60 miles without any tailpipe emissions at all. Tevva’s 7.5t battery-electric truck offers up to 140 miles from its 105kWh battery on a single charge, and is ideal for last-mile and urban delivery fleets.

The Tevva 7.5t battery-electric truck is the only vehicle from a British manufacturer to qualify for the PITrG, and becomes only the third eligible truck to be listed on the government website. The grant pays for 20 per cent of the purchase price, up to a maximum of £16,000, reducing Tevva 7.5t batteryelectric truck total cost of ownership (TCO).

This news follows another significant company milestone in January, when Tevva secured European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) for its 7.5t batteryelectric truck. This meant that Tevva could start producing and selling in volume across the UK and Europe and represented the key regulatory step in the development and commercialisation of the Tevva business.

Tevva founder and CEO Asher Bennett said: “We know first-hand that demand for electric trucks is growing at speed, as we have been inundated with requests for our 7.5t battery-electric truck since going into full production last month. Now we are able to offer UK organisations a noticeable discount, thanks to the government grant, which will surely make zero emission trucking even more appealing to fleets.”

Tevva’s 7.5t battery-electric truck will be followed by a 7.5t hydrogen-electric truck, which benefits from a hydrogen range-extender that enhances vehicle range to up to 354 miles (570 km). The hydrogen-electric truck recently completed a 620-mile ‘border run’ between Tevva’s London HQ and the Scottish border at Berwick-on-Tweed - England’s most northernmost town. The return journey saw the truck cover almost 350 miles alone, without needing a single stop for recharging.

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The first is to publish a Hydrogen in Transport strategy cutting across all modes of transport enabling synergies to be identified and built upon.

The second is to establish a minimum viable network of 200, >1 tonne per day capacity, hydrogen refuelling stations by 2030.

And the third is to ensure the rollout of more hydrogen ecosystems like the Tees Valley project which attempt to aggregate various hydrogen demands to de-risk supply investment.

The report presents a high-level overview of the UK’s current global position, benchmarking our hydrogen transport deployment and hydrogen related transport policies against other international economies. It is intended to act as a springboard for further analysis and spark debate with key Government and industry stakeholders.

Throughout 2023, the Hydrogen UK Transport Working Group will be exploring various topics, including helping shape policy in areas where hydrogen is an emerging and promising transport solution (construction equipment, aviation, maritime and commercial vehicles).

Announcing the report’s publication, Hydrogen UK’s CEO Clare Jackson said: “We’re at an

Refrigerated Trucks

exciting juncture in the deployment of hydrogen as an essential component in the UK’s path to Net Zero. We know that hydrogen has a critical role to play in the decarbonisation of transport and this report highlights the importance of implementing a national hydrogen transport strategy. The UK Government and hydrogen industry must respond to ensure that we capitalise on the opportunities presented by this critical resource, which will help to drive the decarbonisation of our transport sector.”

Allan Rushforth, chief commercial officer at First Hydrogen, said: “It’s valuable that Hydrogen UK has gathered input from industry participants who are on the operational front-line and can provide an accurate view of the challenges and opportunities hydrogen adoption presents. The UK urgently needs to develop a national Hydrogen Transport strategy if it wants to deliver the opportunities of job creation and economic growth that the sector offers. Successful deployment requires coordination between transport networks and energy production, together with a combination of H2 refuelling on trunk roads and at zero emission fleet depots. Without this, hydrogen ecosystems such as Tees Valley and urban Ultra Low Emission Zones will not deliver the potential boost to regional and national growth, or indeed net zero target achievement, that can be achieved with greater engagement from Government.”

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Ocado refrigerated trucks now powered by solar

to power trailer fridges, at one point looking at developing our own solution. On learning of Titan and the success of other customer trials, it seemed like a viable add on solution, supplied and supported by a known partner.”

Ocado Logistics has now added the Titan system to its refrigerated trailer fleet, which uses stored power from solar panels to power its refrigeration unit.

The Titan system from Marshall Fleet Solutions is fitted to a 4.98m high double deck trailer, combined with an Advancer A400 refrigeration unit. Titan uses power produced from lightweight, high powered solar panels and stores the electrical energy in long life lightweight lithium batteries to provide powered to the refrigeration unit.

“As part of our Ocado’s commitment to sustainability we have a goal to bring our operations to net zero by 2035,” says Graham Thomas, fleet operations manager – Truck.

“With a fleet including 300 trailers of which 245 are temperature controlled, for some time we have been looking towards alternative solutions

Graham continues: “Because of the nature of our trunking operation and the temperature regimes we use, there is in theory no reason why diesel can’t be eliminated completely and Titan has the potential to be a key contributor to this goal. In preparation we’re building all our future trailers to be capable of taking Titan as a retrofit.”

Mark Howell, managing director of Marshall Fleet Solutions said: “It’s so pleasing to see how the partnership between our two companies is continuing to grow and to see Ocado take a leading position by incorporating Titan into its double deck fleet this year.

“The successful use of solar powered refrigerated trailers within the Ocado operation will have a significantly positive impact towards delivering their sustainability goals and we are delighted to be part of their journey to Net Zero.”

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