Lidl is operating the first green hydrogen-powered HGV on French roads, as the renewable fuel supplier Lhyfe confirmed its commitment to building plants in the UK too.
The budget supermarket has collaborated with Lhyfe and French haulage company Jacky Perrenot to operate the 26-tonne HGV, which is fitted with a 100 kW fuel cell and has a range of 400km.
It will refuel at the multi-energy station in La Roche-sur-Yon, which opened in December 2021, and will be supplied with 100% renewable green hydrogen by Lhyfe.
Xavier Pierre, head of transport and environment at Lidl, said: “We’re proud to have put this first green hydrogen vehicle on the road, which represents a significant step forward in our commitment to the energy transition.
“This collaboration with Lhyfe and the Jacky Perrenot Group is a concrete example of our desire to work with partners who share our values and ambition.”
Earlier this year, Lhyfe unveiled plans for its first UK hydrogen plant to support the country’s net zero ambitions.
Its proposed facility on the brownfield site of Neptune Bank Power Station in Wallsend, North Tyneside, would have an initial capacity of 20 megawatts, capable of producing up to eight tonnes of green hydrogen per day.
A spokesman for the company said a planning application was submitted in the spring:
“It is in advanced talks with several energy-intensive businesses in the North East and across the UK, including those with transport fleets that could use hydrogen in their operations,” the spokesman added.
