The ITM Power station, located at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, London, is the first public access hydrogen refuelling station.
Opened by Andrew Jones, MP, transport minister and supported by fellow VM members of the European HyFive consortium; Hyundai, Honda and Renault’s technology partner Symbio FCell, the station has easy access from the A316 and A308 trunk roads and is available for commercial and private fleets operating fuel cell electric vehicles.
Jones, who has announced a £2 million government fund to support hydrogen vehicles in public and private sector fleets, said: “We are committed to making all cars and vans zero-emission by 2050, and hydrogen vehicles have a huge role to play in delivering cleaner, greener journeys.
“The new refuelling station at Teddington is just one of 12 stations opening up this year, backed by £5 million of government funding, which will make it easier for more people to switch to this exciting new technology.”
The station is the first of three to be opened in the UK as part of the pan-European HyFive project, funded by the European Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCHJU) and the UK government Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).
Paul Van der Burgh, Toyota (GB) president and managing director, said: “The opening of ITM Power’s new filling station is an excellent example of how a coordinated hydrogen fuel infrastructure is successfully being developed in the UK with backing from the HyFive consortium.”
Dr Graham Cooley, ITM Power chief executive, said: “We are extremely pleased to have launched the first of the company’s HyFive hydrogen refuelling stations in London – providing clean fuel for a range of fuel cell electric vehicle types that are now available from the auto OEMs.”
Teams from ITM Power and BOC Linde say they will open four more electrolyser-based refuelling stations in and around London before the end of 2016.
