Oxfordshire County Council has awarded £825,500 in funding to develop refuelling infrastructure for a hydrogen-powered emergency services programme.
The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Range Extended Fire Engine Prototype (Hyer Power) project will trial up to three fuel cell-powered vehicles, including a fire engine, ambulance and road sweeper.
As the lead partner in the £8m ($10.3m) initiative, UlemCo will direct the funding towards the development of essential hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.
Hungerford-based Fuel Cell Systems will provide the refuelling equipment. Since 2016, the company has developed three generations of mobile hydrogen refuelling trucks.
Oxfordshire County Council will oversee the installation of the refuelling infrastructure to support the trials.
In 2023, UlemCo secured £7.9m ($10.2m) from the UK Government and industry to advance the project.
As part of Hyer Power, the project partners will develop a hydrogen fuel cell range extender module that can be integrated into electric vehicles designed for ambulance, fire engine and street sweeper duties.
The range extender used will reportedly apply existing fuel cell technology from Toyota Mirai to demonstrate how zero emission vehicles can be used in a wide range of settings.
ULEMCo: Powering dual-fuel
Formed in 2014 and based in Liverpool, UK, ULEMCo is focusing on its hydrogen dual-fuel approach to address the biggest barrier for creating demand for hydrogen in transport.
The company was originally founded from Revolve Technologies to commercialise its capability in hydrogen technology for converting commercial vehicles to run on hydrogen fuel via the dual-fuel approach, or by developing zero-emission engines and hydrogen fuel cell integration.
Managing Director Amanda Lyne told H2 View that the technology could answer the ‘chicken and egg’ conundrum as it serves to build the hydrogen base load.
Lyne said, “As existing vehicle designs are used, conversion to clean hydrogen can be rapid, allowing operators to maximise the investment return from their existing fleets. Our main motivation has been to use hydrogen as an immediate solution to reduce the harmful effects of diesel fuel as zero emission options are
being developed.”
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