First Hydrogen and Rivus issue findings from hydrogen LCV road trials

Rivus, which manages approximately 120 000 vehicles, including approximately 85 000 LCVs, is the first fleet management company to test drive the first-of-its-kind hydrogen vehicle on UK roads. The new report showcases data collected during the trial and presents Rivus’ conclusions on the potential for fuel cell vans similar to First Hydrogen’s for use by fleet operators in the UK.

First Hydrogen’s fuel cell electric vehicle has been on trial with Rivus for just over 4 weeks. In that time, engineers at Rivus covered over 700 miles of testing, totalling over 47 hours of driving. Tests were completed on diverse routes, providing data on how the vehicle operates under different conditions. This involved urban city centre driving, navigating extra urban routes i.e., journeys that include driving in town centres and on higher speed roads, and combined routes, which included a mix of driving on low-speed city centre roads, higher speed roads and motorways.

Rivus also tested the van both empty and loaded to 90% of its maximum weight capacity, reflecting the way vans will be used in the real world.

Trial analysis shows the van achieved 500 km (311 miles) on the 10.3 kg tank of hydrogen. This makes hydrogen power a viable option for fleet operators that cover a high mileage and may not have the opportunity to re-charge a battery.

Price comparisons have also been made using hydrogen, to better understand the total cost of ownership, versus diesel and battery electric vehicles. The comparisons reflect the current cost of hydrogen; however, the Hydrogen UK Transport Working Group predicts fuel costs are expected to decrease to £7.47/kg by 2025 and as low as £4.09/kg by the end of the decade, which in the case of First Hydrogen’s vehicle equates to a cost of 13.7p per mile.

First Hydrogen’s Automotive CEO, Steve Gill says: “We are delighted that Rivus has managed to prove that this technology can be a viable option for many fleets. The trial also showed that the vehicle ran with efficiency, comfortably achieving more than a 500 km range on a single tank of fuel, exceeding the early performance expectations we set for real world driving.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/14082023/first-hydrogen-and-rivus-issue-findings-from-hydrogen-lcv-road-trials/