First Hydrogen has partnered with Rivus to start operational trials with a ‘first-of-its-kind’ hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle (FCEV).
Rivus, a member of the UK Aggregated Hydrogen Freight Consortium (AFHC), currently manages around 120,000 vehicles and supports some of the UK’s largest fleets.
The partnership will begin with a driver training day hosted by First Hydrogen and AVL at HORIBA MIRA’s ground in Coventry. Rivus will test one of First Hydrogen’s LCV for a month in the Birmingham and Sheffield areas, which have hydrogen refuelling stations available.
Rivus will be the first company to participate in vehicle trials with First Hydrogen’s Generation zero-emission LCVs and the findings will contribute to First Hydrogen’s overall evaluation and mileage accumulation programme, which supports vehicle optimisation and determines Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
Thomas Maerz, CEO at Rivus, said, “Having this time to evaluate the vehicles capabilities will significantly add to our insight into alternative fuels, especially in the LCV class.
“In light of 2030 targets, this knowledge enables us to help operators with critical fleets that need to transition to zero emission. Providing this support gives our customers confidence in their transition and fuels our ambition to create a cleaner and more sustainable future.”
The programme is co-ordinated through the AFHC, which is led by Element Energy and receives input from global industrial members of UK H2Mobility.
First Hydrogen claims its vehicle has a range of 400-600km on a single fuel tank filled at 700 bar which takes approximately five minutes to fill. The programme will enable operators to compare different vehicle technologies in action.
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Rivus will utilise telematics and onboard instruments to capture data on vehicle performance, efficiency and fuel consumption.
Following the trial, Rivus will provide its own independent report analysing the performance of the hydrogen-powered LCV, which will be available to fleet managers and Rivus customers; 15 other major fleet operators have agreed to participate in the 12-to-18-month programme.
Steve Gill, CEO Automotive at First Hydrogen, said, “As highly regarded fleet specialists, we’re keen to receive Rivus’ feedback. Their key findings will showcase our vehicle’s capabilities to a new audience of fleet customers and create market demand.”
