Alternative Fuels
Futuristic fuel cell
Written by Richard Gooding
As the UK’s national infrastructure grows and take-up is given a significant £2m boost, Richard Gooding drives the zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell Toyota Mirai
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Following on from the recent London Hydrogen Network Expansion’s (LHNE) ‘Tour de M25’ which raised awareness of the benefits of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) as well as the infrastructure surrounding them by setting distance world records around the M25 (GreenFleet issue 93), the government has announced a new £2 million competition to encourage and promote the roll-out of hydrogen-fuelled vehicles. Public and private sector fleets can now get a discount of up to 75 per cent off the
How does a Fuel Cell Vehicle work? Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs, or Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles – FCEVs) work by converting hydrogen to electricity to power the driving electric motors. An FCV is refuelled with hydrogen which then reacts with oxygen in a fuel cell stack to generate electricity. This is then sent through a power control unit to the electric drive motor and battery. The only by-product ‘emission’ is water (H20). A longer range means FCVs only have to be refuelled around every 300-350 miles.
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cost of zero-emission fuel cell electric vehicles by submitting bids to the Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Fleet Support Scheme by 4 July 2016. Local authorities, fire brigades, health trusts, police forces and private companies can bid for the funding to add hydrogen-powered vehicles to their fleets. In addition, a new publicly-accessible hydrogen refuelling station has just opened at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington (see panel), Middlesex. With an increasing number of hydrogen-fuelled vehicles on offer from major motor manufacturers, hydrogen is slowly ramping up to challenge electricity as a viable alternative fuel. One of the hydrogen-powered cars available in the UK for fleets is the Toyota Mirai, and GreenFleet was invited to Toyota’s UK HQ to drive it.
ITM Power, Transport for London, and private hire business greentomatocars. Launched in December 2014, the Mirai is one of the cars eligible for the UK government’s Office of Low Emission Vehicles Plug-in Car Grant. Sales projections are modest, with 15 examples thought to take to the UK’s roads this year, up from 12 in 2015. Over 1,500 orders were received in Japan during the first month of sales, and Toyota has ramped up production to a total of 2,000 in 2016, rising still further to 3,000 in 2017. Toyota expects customers to come from the commercial and public sectors, as well as from the hydrogen industry itself. In the UK, the Mirai is available in just one high-grade specification. At £66,000 on-the-road (not including subsidies), Toyota’s fuel cell challenger isn’t cheap, but as the technology gets more widespread, the cost may well reduce. Toyota UK states that the car is available for sale or for contract hire or lease, with packages available from £750 per month, on a four-year, 60,000 mile scheme. That monthly cost includes full servicing, tyres and fuel. A further dedicated ‘Mirai Companion’ package includes a dedicated 24/7 concierge service, a journey-planning app, as well as a five-year ‘premium’ roadside assistance scheme.
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2016 World Green Car Recipient of the 2016 World Green Car award, the Mirai is taking advantage of the growing national infrastructure in this country and the UK is one of the first European markets to receive the car. Early fleet customers who are already enjoying the benefits include hydrogen energy company
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