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Hydrogen UK has called on the government to focus policy support for hydrogen on “high value cases”, including for HGVs, which it says need hydrogen for its “unique advantages for payload and refuelling time”.
In a new report, ‘Driving Demand’ the group says UK hydrogen policy frameworks have focused primarily on hydrogen production, and more focus is required on the demand side, to stimulate demand and support offtakers to switch to hydrogen. However, the report only categorises non-road mobile machinery as a ‘no regrets/high value’ hard-to-abate use case, while heavy goods vehicles fall into this category on a ‘case by case basis’.
The report cites analysis by Agora, based on IEA data, that shows hydrogen could be used to fuel long-range (>400km) and ‘specialist’ vehicles. It also cites an RHA report published in June, which found that “12% of HGV operators planned to bring a hydrogen-powered vehicle within their fleet within the next 5 years, proving that there is demand for hydrogen-based solutions to decarbonise the commercial vehicle fleet”. HydrogenUK said that meant there would be a “significant pool” of the UK’s fleet of more than 500,000 HGVs. However, the RHA report also found that 23% of HGV operators, “plan to bring electric vehicles into their fleets within the next 5 years and in some cases are already using them”.
The report adds that “the choice of decarbonisation options is not done on a sector-by-sector basis… even within companies the decision-making process is site-by-site” reflecting the numerous factors that affect the choice. For HydrogenUK, this reinforces the view that “customers must be allowed the choice of decarbonisation options.”
This choice narrative contrasts with comments made by Professor David Cebon, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cambridge, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Road Freight, and co-founder of the Hydrogen Science Coalition in a recent article in LAPV (Local Authority Plant & Vehicles). Although he referred to the use of hydrogen in bus fleets, which he described as a “costly dead end”, he had warnings over the evolution of infrastructure that also have implications for freight.
Cebon said that on a system level, “the choice between electrification or hydrogen for car decarbonisation has effectively already been made”. He explained, “large swathes of the economy are expected to electrify, while the range of use cases for hydrogen is shrinking. In line with the overall energy economy, infrastructure to support electric vehicles will continue to expand.
“There will not be widespread hydrogen infrastructure to match. Current hydrogen infrastructure is paltry, with refuelling stations closing rather than opening. This makes it impossible to piggyback on existing infrastructure, adding further cost and complexity.” He said hydrogen refuelling and supply chain infrastructure is complex, and green hydrogen is currently in scarce global supply. He told the publication that electric buses “skip this unnecessary hydrogen middleman, with all its costly inefficiencies”.
