Emergency services, supermarkets, and delivery businesses will use cleaner, greener hydrogen-powered vehicles as a result of new technology trials in Tees Valley.
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The Tees Valley area has secured £2.5 million in funding to test hydrogen-powered vehicles, such as police cars and delivery trucks. Supermarkets, emergency services, and delivery businesses will begin using hydrogen-powered cars to carry products and perform local services if the trials are successful. The North East, which produces more than half of the UK's hydrogen, is an obvious option for the experiments.
The trials will also assist the government in better understanding the role of hydrogen in attaining the 2050 net-zero energy objectives, which will influence future investment decisions and prime export possibilities.
A forklift truck for warehouse operations, a passenger bus, and 10 fuel cell passenger cars are among the hydrogen vehicles Toyota is deploying as part of one of the most extensive projects. These will be given to the town's emergency response services, such as the Cleveland Police Department's emergency response teams and NHS patient assistance. The goal of the research is to show how fuel cell-powered delivery vans can outperform conventional diesel vehicles in terms of range, refuelling periods, and speed.
HV Systems intends to conduct a demonstration of hydrogen-powered delivery vehicles in the Tees Valley area. The vans will be operated in partnership with a major supermarket chain, transporting customers between 19 superstores and the business’s main distribution center.
In collaboration with Sainsbury's, Element Energy will also undertake a trial of a hydrogen-powered heavy goods vehicle (HGV) in the Tees Valley region. The truck will be operated from a local distribution facility and utilised to deliver goods around the community.
A hydrogen fueling station was previously funded with more than £1.3 million from the government in the Tees Valley. The funding follows the official publication of a masterplan for the UK's first hydrogen transport hub, which could be operational by 2025 and contribute to the long-term development of up to 5,000 new jobs in the North East as the economy continues to grow.
To find out more about this initiative see here.
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