Energy storage and clean-fuel company ITM Power plc (LON:ITM) is to help the Metropolitan Police with the roll out of its new fleet of zero-emission vehicles after it signed a signed a fuel contract
The tie-up with the UK’s largest police force will see ITM supply hydrogen to the Met Police’s new fleet of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).
“I am delighted to announce our continued partnership with the Met Police in assisting with the roll out of their new fleet of FCEV response vehicles,” said ITM chief executive Graham Cooley.
“This demonstrates significant progress in ITM Power's strategic objective of providing refuelling services to operators of return to base FCEV fleets with heavy cycle usage.”
200 extra FCEVs due to be rolled out
The Met will be using the Toyota Mirai, which can run for around 300 miles on a full tank of hydrogen.
Two hundred of these cars will be rolled out in the UK over the next 12 months, most of which are expected to be used by high-mileage users such as the emergency services.
Based on an average number of vehicle miles driven per year in the UK of 7,900 miles, each new FCEV could be expected to use 130kg of hydrogen, for which ITM is currently paid £10+VAT for every kilo of hydrogen sold.
Generating capacity to hit 3,000kg a day
In order to support large-scale adoption of FCEVs over the long-term, establishing the necessary infrastructure is essential, and ITM received £4.3mln in funding last month to help it do just that.
The company currently has 12 wholly-owned hydrogen refuelling station assets in its UK portfolio: five are open to the public; three are due to open in the current quarter; and four further stations are in the planning stage and scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2019.
When all 12 HRSs – which incorporate on-site hydrogen production – are fully-deployed, they will be able to generate 3,000kg of transport fuel a day.
“Establishing the infrastructure necessary to support these [high-mileage] users is a first step in building out a national network of green hydrogen refuelling stations, which is an essential precursor to the large-scale adoption of FCEVs in the longer term,” added Cooley.
“Working alongside our partners, Shell, Toyota, Honda and Hyundai, we are now in a strong position to lead this large-scale adoption in the UK.”
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