Hydrogen van opportunity from 2035 hybrid decision, says FleetCheck

Allowing hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) to stay on sale until 2035 creates a potential window of opportunity for hydrogen vans to become more widely adopted, says FleetCheck.

Fleet News revealed in July that the Government would be restoring the 2030 phase-out date for the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles. 

Earlier this month, the Department for Transport (DfT) also confirmed that there would be the provision for some hybrid vehicle sales between 2030 and 2035, and says it will set out further details in due course.

Peter Golding, CEO of FleetCheck, says that the additional time means both that manufacturers could invest more in vehicles, and Government and private businesses in refuelling infrastructure.

“Hydrogen has always looked the best zero emissions alternative if electric vans prove unsuitable for some applications because of issues with range, payload and charging,” he explained.

“However, the previous lack of clarity around government zero emissions policy made it seem solutions would need to be in place by the end of the decade, which was unlikely.

“Now, we arguably have an extra five years during which hydrogen technology and infrastructure can be developed, which changes the picture considerably.

“It creates the opportunity to make hydrogen much more of a viable option for fleets.”

The Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate means that businesses will still need to be buying electric vans in large quantities by 2030, but Golding believes that the extra five years could allow a portfolio approach to fuel types to be adopted.

“It’s now possible to envisage a future where van fleets switch out of diesel into electric for lighter duty applications, and from diesel to petrol hybrid and then hydrogen for longer routes with heavier payloads,” he continued.

“Given the technological and legislative boundaries that we currently know about, this makes sense.”

The practicality of this strategy would very much depend on the development of hydrogen vehicles and infrastructure, he added, with both in very short supply today.

“There is currently one hydrogen van on sale and a handful of fuelling stations, so there is much to do,” he said. “However, several manufacturers have been working on hydrogen technology – based on both fuel cells and internal combustion engines – and implementing this in vans could be carried out relatively easily.

“Fuelling is a definite issue but there is, of course, also investment in hydrogen for trucks and other larger commercial vehicles, so there is potential synergy there.

“Given that hydrogen refuelling is just like filling up a diesel van, there doesn’t need to be thousands of pumps but there do need to be a sufficient number in good locations.

“It would be useful for the new Government to recognise the potential of hydrogen and take more of a structured lead in this area, and we hope to see some movement here soon.”