First Hydrogen has revealed plans to carry out operational delivery trials with its hydrogen fuel cell-powered vans in Q3/Q4 of 2023. The trials will see the company’s clean vehicles going into service with several delivery companies to introduce the technology to the sector. First Hydrogen also aims to demonstrate the capability of its hydrogen fuel cell systems.
The company’s CEO, Steve Gill believes that the next generation of delivery vehicles and fleets will need to consist of a mix of BEVs and FCEVs to ensure they remain reliable and flexible when meeting customer demand.
In October 2022, First Hydrogen released details of its MAN eTGE vans that had Ballard Power Systems’ fuel cells installed. The vans were certified legal for use on British roads by the Vehicle Certification Authority.
Fast forward to the present day, and the hydrogen fuel cell-powered vans have undergone testing with several fleet operators including SSE and Rivus. When being tested by Rivus, the MAN vans completed a total of 742 miles during a 47-hour period. A single 10.3kg tank of hydrogen delivered 311 miles, even when the vehicle was loaded with 90% of its maximum weight capacity.
“The large, growing parcel delivery sector desperately needs to build environmentally friendly and commercially viable fleets, and our hydrogen LCV can help to do that,” said Steve Gill, CEO of First Hydrogen Automotive. “This presents us with an exciting opportunity to explore a new customer base, enabling us to further accelerate business growth and potentially bring our vehicles to market quicker.”