Power storage specialist ITM Power (LON:ITM) is to site three hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS) on the forecourts of Shell outlets in London.
The deal is part of an initiative to speed up the adoption of fuel cell-powered vehicles (FCEVs) in the UK.
In February, ITM was granted £1.89mln by OLEV (Office for Low Emission Vehicles) to invest in two new HRSs.
At least one of the new stations and possibly two will be built using this grant.
Additional financial support will come from a £1.7mln award from the FCH JU (Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking), which will support the new stations in their early years.
FCEVs run on hydrogen gas that is stored within the vehicle like petrol or diesel.
ITM Power has developed an electrolyser that converts excess electricity into hydrogen. Each of the new stations will incorporate on-site hydrogen generation facilities using its PEM HGas electrolyser platform.
Unlike conventional fuel powered vehicles, FCEVs only expel a mixture of water vapour and air. The latest vehicle models can run for hundreds of miles and be re-fuelled in minutes.
Graham Cooley, ITM Power's chief executive, said: "This agreement and the OLEV funding for these new refuelling stations in the South East is an important step in developing hydrogen mobility in the UK. These HRS deployments will be the first to be fully integrated on fuel forecourts."
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