Hydrogen-powered ‘meals on wheels’ van enters trials

A hydrogen-powered meals on wheels van has entered trials with Monmouthshire Council this week.

Built by South Wales-based van conversion specialists, Vantastec, in partnership with Swedish fuel cell experts, Powercell, the vehicle will be put through it paces over the next four to six weeks for the Monmouthshire Meals service.

The vehicle combines Nissan’s electric Townstar and Vantastec’s new, patent-pending hydrogen power unit to power equipment that can defrost and regenerate meals to an edible temperature.

Vantastec says that the van, which has taken a year to develop, is a “gamechanger” for helping businesses reach net zero.

Members of the PowerCell team recently spent several days at Vantastec’s headquarters in south Wales testing the power unit, where proof of concept was successfully signed off.

Powercell sales manager, Stuart Sharp, said: “Powercell is proud to be a part of this project, which is bringing hydrogen applications closer to the community.

“This demonstrates the limitless possibilities and demand for hydrogen fuel cells in our lives as we transition to a greener future.”

He added: “The success of this project, achieved in record time, is attributed to the teamwork between Powercell and Vantastec.

“Both companies have contributed their expertise and dedication to develop the hydrogen fuel cell power generation system installed on the roof of the vehicle.

“This collaboration showcases that true net-zero fleet operation is achievable today.”

Having built fully-electric vehicles for meals-on-wheels services throughout the UK, Vantastec believes hydrogen to be more practical alternative for fleet operators wanting to go green.

It acknowledged that battery-powered vehicles “have their place”, but said that, when it comes to installing heavy ancillary equipment, any additional weight can drastically affect an electric vehicle’s real-world range.

“Feedback from our customers tells us EVs aren’t optimal for a lot of business’ workflows,” it said.

“Our new hydrogen power unit gives fleet operators one less battery to charge. Instead, they are able to refuel at a hydrogen fuel station in less than 10 minutes.”

Vantastec explains that the pack can be installed on any kind of van as an additional power source – not just oven vans.

It can also be used as a standalone generator to charge electric vehicles.