UK government awards ULEMCo £1.3M for hydrogen dual-fuel trials
01 February 2017
UK-based ULEMCo, a developer of a hydrogen-diesel dual-fuel conversion system (earlier post), has been awarded Government funding to trial a range of vehicles with hydrogen dual-fuel technology. The funding is worth more than £1.3 million (US$1.6 million), and will see large vans and trucks running on hydrogen dual-fuel. The overall aim of the larger £20-million (US$25-million) program recently announced by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) is to cut emissions and improve air quality through use of cleaner fuel and electric vehicles.
Collaborating with Lead Partner ULEMCo on the project are: Westminster City Council; Veolia; London Fire Brigade; Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust; Commercial and Ocado. Aberdeen City Council has a plan to convert a range of their vehicles to dual-fuel hydrogen: refuse trucks, HGV road sweepers and delivery vans. The project will demonstrate both the emission reduction potential of hydrogen replacing diesel, as well as the practical advantages of dual fuel operation.
The freight industry accounts for about 30% of the UK’s CO2 transport emissions, and the money will help fleets get their new vehicles on the roads from mid 2017 onwards.
The latest funding from the Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trial Fund is being delivered by OLEV and Innovate UK, with the aim of demonstrating new technologies, and to encourage the widespread introduction of low and zero emission vehicles to UK fleets.
ULEMCo was founded in 2014 as a spin out of Revolve Technologies, with founding directors Amanda Lyne and Paul Turner, to commercialize their intellectual property and capability in hydrogen combustion engine technology.
CO2 emission might indeed be reduced, using diesel-hydrogen fuel mix. What about Oxides of Nitrogen? I would like to know the answer. Why does UK Government support this technology, unless all three emissions (particulates, Oxides of Nitrogen and Co2) are reduced significantly compared to using neat diesel fuel.
Posted by: laszlo | 02 February 2017 at 02:47 AM
Trucks in the U.S. use huge amounts of fuel. Whether 18 wheel or step vans, everything that ends up in stores or delivered to your home comes by truck. If we can increase mileage even 10% it would be an advance.
Posted by: SJC | 03 February 2017 at 11:18 AM