Working together, the partners of the LHNE project have broken the record for the longest journey in the UK on a single tank of hydrogen, travelling 400 miles (645 km), and have also broken the longest continuous journey for an FCEV by travelling 6,096 miles (9,811 km) over the course of six days.

The record was broken in a Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell car as part of the LHNE partners’ contribution to Hydrogen Week (11-18 March), designed to raise awareness of the benefits offered by FCEVs.

The group of companies that comprise the project, which is led by Air Products, completed around 50 of laps of the M25 motorway, plus mileage to and from one of the four publicly-accessible hydrogen refueling stations in the UK.

LHNE, co-funded by Innovate UK, was set up in 2012 to create the UK’s first hydrogen-powered transport system across London and the South East. It has delivered a new publicly-accessible, state-of-the-art fast-fill SmartFuel hydrogen refueling station and upgraded a second to 700 bar pressure status.

The LHNE partners are now looking for the adoption of a range of hydrogen vehicle technologies, including fuel cells, to accelerate in the UK. However, one of the main challenges is the limited coverage of refueling stations to support the vehicles. There are currently four publicly-accessible stations in the UK, including the two Air Products SmartFuel stations in London, and funding is in place for at least 12 to be operational in England and Scotland within the next 12 months.

The LHNE project is a government-backed initiative co-funded by Innovate UK (previously the Technology Strategy Board) to create the UK’s first hydrogen powered transport system across London and the South East. The project is being undertaken by a consortium, led by Air Products.

The LHNE consortium comprises Air Products, Anglo American, Cenex, Commercial Group, Element Energy, the Greater London Authority, Heathrow Airport Ltd, Hyundai Motor UK Ltd, Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells Ltd, Revolve Technologies Ltd, and Shell.