Hydrogen-powered vans to be trialled in London

Two LoCITY Champions have developed a hydrogen-powered van that will be trialled in London over the next six months.

The vehicle, produced for delivery firm CitySprint by Renault, runs on electricity that is generated by hydrogen reacting with the oxygen within it.

It has a range of 200 miles and the chemical reaction that powers it produces only water.

Working in partnership with Mitie, the vehicle will be used on distribution for a number clients over the next six months.

Over this time, CitySprint will be monitoring its performance against the rest of its green fleet to determine the effect on total emission output.

Patrick Gallagher, CitySprint group chief executive, said: "Since the launch of our green fleet this August, we’ve already cut back on our CO2 emissions by as much as 10 tonnes.

“The trial of a hydrogen van is on a long list of environmentally friendly vehicles we have tested over the years. We hope that along with our growing cargo bike fleet, this can prove to be a sustainable option and continue our commitment to reducing air pollution across the UK cities we operate in."