UK government’s hydrogen project breaks new records in London

The government-backed London Hydrogen Network Expansion project (LHNE) has broken two new

distance records for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs). 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, traveling

400 miles, and have also broken the longest continuous journey for an FCEV by traveling 6,096 miles

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 (March 11-18), designed to raise awareness of the significant benefits offered by FCEVs

and their environmentally-friendly credentials. 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 the requisite 700 bar

pressure status.

The LHNE partners are now keen for the adoption of hydrogen fuel cell technology to accelerate in the

UK but one of the main challenges is the limited coverage of refueling stations to support the vehicles.

There are currently six stations in the UK, including the two public 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.

NGS INDIA