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Your next company car – fuelled by hydrogen?

1050_Hyundai_ix35_Fuel_Cell_vehicle_rolls_of_assembly_line_Hyundai_40081
Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell

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26 April 2013

“Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are our best hope for practical zero-emission transport,” commented John Lewis of the BVRLA

COULD your next company car be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell?

That might seem far-fetched, given the slow take up of plug-in electric cars and other vehicles running on alternative fuels, but a new joint study prepared by government and industry says that 1.5 million hydrogen-powered cars could be on British roads by 2030.

The finding comes from an interim report produced under a project called UKH2Mobility, which brings together government and businesses from the motor industry, energy and retail sectors in an effort to define a future roadmap for the introduction of hydrogen-powered vehicles and their associated infrastructure in the UK.

The report says that up to ten per cent of car buyers are likely to be open to the idea of adopting a hydrogen-fuelled car, with the appeal broadening once economies of scale bring prices down. By 2030, there could be 1.6 million hydrogen cars in the UK, with annual sales running at up to 300,000.

This growth will only be possible if there is a suitable supporting infrastructure and the report says that 65 refuelling points should be enough to set the ball rolling and that there should be about 1150 sites by 2030.

The big prize from the adoption of hydrogen is a huge annual reduction in CO2 emissions – as much as three million tonnes by 2030. The only emission from the tailpipe is water.

Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell
Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell: 1000 units by 2015

The BVRLA welcomed the report. Its chief executive, John Lewis, said: “Hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles are our best hope for long-term, mass market adoption of practical zero-emission transport.

“We are delighted that UKH2Mobility is working with the BVRLA and other fleet industry representatives that will lead the uptake of this exciting new technology. This report gives us a clear, sensible roadmap that finally lays to rest the myth that the arrival of hydrogen vehicles is always 20 years away.”

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Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton is an award-winning journalist and the founder of Business Car Manager (now renamed Business Motoring). Ralph writes extensively about the car and van leasing industry as well as wider fleet and company car issues. A former editor of What Car?, Ralph is a vastly experienced writer and editor and has been writing about the automotive sector for over 35 years.

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