ULEMCo in vehicle hydrogen tech development project

ULEMCo, the hydrogen fuelled vehicle pioneer, is in a partnership to develop hydrogen-based vehicle technology supported by a grant of £3.9 million by government matched by £4 million from industry.

Partners in the project  include:  Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) for customer input, trialling and dissemination; Technical Services (UK) Ltd for cooling capability; Altair for vehicle energy system modelling; and Emergency One for fire engine applications.

The ‘HYER Power’ project will develop a hydrogen fuel cell range extender module that will integrate into electric vehicles used for specialist applications such as ambulances, fire engines and street sweepers.

The funding has been awarded through the Advanced Propulsion Centre Collaborative Research and Development programme, in support of ambitions to build an end-to-end supply chain for zero-emission vehicles in the UK.

The work will lead to a manufacturing-ready, zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell based range extension system for electric drivetrains.

The zero-emission range extender used for HYER Power will apply existing, proven fuel cell technology from the Toyota Mirai, and will demonstrate how zero emission vehicles can be used in a wide range of specialised and challenging settings.

Key outcomes of the project will include a production-ready zero-emission ambulance as a result from the work already completed by ULEMCo under the ZERRO project, alongside a fully working prototype fire pumping appliance and an HGV road sweeper.

“We are delighted to see this recognition and commitment to developing hydrogen mobility as part of the solution to net zero”, said Amanda Lyne, Managing Director of ULEMCo (pictured) “Hydrogen is essential for viable zero-emission solutions in applications such as emergency response vehicles due to the rapid refuelling that enables the vehicle to be ‘fit-to-go’, and to provide the full flexibility and range required for the job. The packaging constraints and the overall energy demand needed for these vehicle drivetrains as well as the onboard equipment, mean that hydrogen solutions are the most cost-productive route to transition to zero-emission fleets. Our strong relationship with OCC will enable us to make rapid progress moving to production-ready hydrogen fuel cell designs

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