Government puts £400million behind hydrogen car project
A new government initiative to ensure the UK is well positioned for the commercial roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell electric cars has been launched today by Business Minister Mark Prisk.
The UKH2Mobility project will evaluate the potential for hydrogen as a fuel for ultra low carbon vehicles in the UK before developing an action plan for an anticipated roll-out to consumers in 2014/15.
It aims to review the investments required to commercialise the technology - including refuelling infrastructure - and identify what is required to make the UK a leading global player in hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle manufacturing.
Speaking at the launch event at the Royal Society in London today, Mark Prisk said: "The UK is proving itself to be a key early market for ultra low emission vehicles with growing numbers of electric and plug-in hybrids appearing on our roads. The government is supporting this market by investing £400million to support the development, demonstration and deployment of these vehicles.
"Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are increasingly being recognised as one of the viable options as we move to a lower carbon motoring future. They are highly efficient, can be fuelled in minutes, travel an equivalent range to a conventional combustion engine, and have zero tail-pipe emissions.
"This country has a number of world-class companies that are developing exciting technologies in both the hydrogen energy and automotive value chains and it is vitally important that we identify what is required to make these cars a realistic proposition for UK consumers."
UKH2Mobility is being backed by several leading car manufacturers, including Nissan, Tata Motors, Toyota and Vauxhall, as well as three government bodies and a range of utility, gas and infrastructure companies.
The consortium will deliver its evaluation of the potential of hydrogen as a transport fuel by the end of 2012. If the results are positive, an action plan will be developed to work through the steps needed to roll out hydrogen fuel cell EV's across the UK.
Jerry Hardcastle, vp for vehicle design and development at Nissan said: "This is an important step for the automotive sector towards the development of clean vehicle technologies and zero emission mobility.
"It will lay many of the foundations for the commercial deployment of hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles which could represent a large segment of the UK market in the coming years."
