British engineering and strategic consulting company Ricardo has announced that it has received UK government funding to develop a retrofit hydrogen fuel-cell bus demonstrator for the UK’s first hydrogen transport hub in the northeast of England.
To demonstrate progress with its national hydrogen strategy, the government launched the Tees Valley Hydrogen Hub and initiated the Hydrogen Transport Hub Demonstration competition to showcase real-world hydrogen transport technology solutions.
Ricardo submitted a bid with public transport operator Stagecoach to demonstrate a retrofit hydrogen fuel-cell bus. The UK Department for Transport subsequently named the Ricardo and Stagecoach bid as one of the competition winners and has awarded funding to build a one-off vehicle that will be available for demonstration in the Tees Valley Hydrogen Hub from February 2022.
Read more: Teesside Airport pilots UK-first hydrogen transport trial
Teri Hawksworth, managing director for Ricardo’s automotive and industrial (EMEA) division, said: “Winning the Hydrogen Transport Hub Demonstration competition will enable us to promote hydrogen fuel-cell capabilities for buses in the UK and mainland Europe, and demonstrate the environmental, societal and economic benefits of the circular economy: affordably achieving zero emissions, while extending vehicle lives through retrofitting rather than scrapping vehicles.”
Ricardo will develop a scalable, modular solution, enabling it to be installed, with minimal adaption, to multiple single- and double-decker platforms. The modular concept may also be saleable as a ‘new fuel-cell’ module to coach builders across the European Union, enabling them to develop new fuel-cell
buses by taking a rolling chassis and applying their coach build body alongside the fuel-cell module solution.
According to Ricardo, there are currently 38,000 buses in service in the UK, of which 98% are diesel powered and 50% are less than eight years-old. Given the need to find a long-term, sustainable technology solution to meet government net zero targets for transport, UK bus operators are seeking advice around hydrogen fuel-cell retrofitting.
Steve Walker, Stagecoach North East managing director, added: “Introducing new low-emission technologies to reduce air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions is key to achieving our environmental goals. We are delighted to be working with Ricardo to bring this exciting advancement to the UK’s first hydrogen hub, which represents a huge step forward for the Tees Valley.”
