British-Canadian firm bets on hydrogen with 372-mile fuel cell van

Converted Man eTGE panel vans promise massively boosted range and reduced downtime

Start-up First Hydrogen is looking to offer UK fleets a diesel alternative from early 2023

British-Canadian start-up First Hydrogen has received approval for fleet-wide on-road trials of its fuel-cell vans, commencing in January 2023.

The company uses the Man eTGE as a basis for its vans, converting each example from a battery-electric powertrain to hydrogen fuel-cell electric one using parts from Ballard Power Systems.

This boosts the eTGE’s range substantially; from the original 71.5 miles to First Hydrogen’s claimed 248-372 miles, this variance likely depending on conditions such as payload and speed.

First Hydrogen also cites reduced downtime as a key benefit of fuel cells, which take five minutes to fully refuel. In contrast, the battery-electric eTGE van takes 45 minutes to charge to 80% at its maximum rate of 40kW.

Such time savings are surely appealing to large fleets concerned with their logistics in a post-diesel world: sales of new petrol and diesel vans up to 3.5 tonnes will be banned from 2030, with those over 3.5 tonnes following five years later.

First Hydrogen’s converted vans were granted approval following a series of safety and performance tests at the Horiba Mira proving ground.

Nicholas Wrigley, chairman of First Hydrogen, said: “We're delighted with the initial performance of the First Hydrogen fuel-cell van. There's growing pressure on the transport sector to achieve zero-emission targets, which means operators, governments and investors are eager to see the power of hydrogen mobility in action. Using donor vehicles has enabled us to bring our first demonstrator vans to market quickly.”

First Hydrogen’s success in the UK will largely hinge on the state of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in the UK. 

Shell recently shuttered key sites along the M25 and M40, with plans for replacements only where heavy trucks can access them. This leaves just 11 hydrogen pumps in the UK, despite consistent encouragement from the government for investment in hydrogen for use in industrial vehicles.

Nonetheless, key industry figures remain bullish about the technology in a global context.

Toyota and Hyundai recently announced that they will begin selling hydrogen models – the Mirai and Nexo, respectively – in China for the first time.

BMW is set to launch a fleet of hydrogen-powered iX5 SUVs next year, with chairman Oliver Zipse saying it will be “the hippest thing to drive” once the fuel is more scalable.

Jaguar Land Rover is also developing its own hydrogen hardware with Project Zeus, a Land Rover Defender modified to accept a hydrogen-plug-in-hybrid powertrain. This uses hydrogen to generate electricity for a conventional battery-motor set-up to remove the lag inherent in fuel-cell powertrains.

Indeed, several rivals already exist for First Hydrogen’s converted vans: Stellantis sells hydrogen variants of the mid-sized Citroën Jumpy and Opel Vivaro in mainland Europe, while Renault has announced a fuel-cell version of the Master.