Government to cut emissions with £2m Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle scheme

Government plans to make almost every vehicle in Britain zero-emission by 2050 took a step forward this week with the launch of the Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Fleet Support Scheme.

The £2m fund will allow local authorities, health trusts, fire brigades, police forces and private businesses to bid for cash and switch to using hydrogen-fuelled vehicles.

Introduced by the Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), the fund is expected to triple the number of hydrogen-fuelled cars currently on British roads by Spring 2017.

The FCEV scheme follows the Government’s commitment in 2014 to spend £5m, through the Hydrogen for Transport Advancement Programme, on creating 12 hydrogen refuelling stations.

On Tuesday (May 10), Transport Minister Andrew Jones opened the second of the new refuelling stations at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, London.

All 12 of the stations are due to be up and running by the end of 2016.

Mr Jones commented: “We are always looking at new ways to make the vehicles of the future cleaner, and hydrogen fuel cells are an important part of our vision for almost all cars and vans to be zero-emission by 2050.

“This funding, along with the growing network of hydrogen refuelling stations opening in England, will help businesses and the public sector to get on board with this exciting technology.”

He added: “This is further proof that we are leading the way in making journeys cleaner and protecting the environment.”

The new funding will cover as much as 75% of the cost of new vehicles bought by April next year, in addition to the cost of running them for the next three years. Through the scheme, businesses and public sector organisations will also be able to access support over leasing, insurance and servicing.

FCEVs do not emit CO2 or other pollutants, with the only byproduct being water vapour. On a full tank they are also capable of driving over 300 miles, while refuelling at a hydrogen gas pump takes just fives minutes.

According to the Government, the market and technology for hydrogen vehicles is slowly gathering pace. Currently, the UK is one of only five markets for hydrogen FCEVs, with automakers Hyundai and Toyota both offering a single FCEV model for UK customers.

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