There’s been a lot in the news recently regarding green travel, electric vehicle, hydrogen vehicles and how we can further reduce our carbon footprint. And it seems the powers-that-be the world over are making concerted efforts to fund research and projects to support the push for an eco-friendlier future.
The BBC recently reported that Toyota has signed a deal with the government worth £11.3M to develop a range of hydrogen-powered pickup trucks. Unlike electric cars who use electricity from a chargeable battery, hydrogen-powered cars and trucks (also known as fuel cell vehicles or FCVs) generate it through a chemical reaction.
According to the BBC, “the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is investing £5.6m in the research scheme, based at Burnaston, with a further £5.7m coming through the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) – an industry body which supports work to decarbonise transport.”
What’s the difference between hydrogen and electric vehicles?
The main difference between the two types of vehicles is how the electricity used to power them is generated. Electric vehicles or EVs rely on a rechargeable lithium battery which gives them upwards of a 300-mile range, whereas hydrogen vehicles are powered by a chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen which creates electrical energy.
An electric vehicle is charged up just like any other electronic device – you plug it in and wait, but hydrogen cars are filled up just like a traditional petrol or diesel engine, but instead of fuel, you pump in hydrogen. Currently there are only around 14 hydrogen refueling stations across the UK so currently, filling up may prove tricky.
What is Toyota’s plan?
Richard Kenworthy, managing director at Toyota Manufacturing UK explains, ‘this exciting project allows Toyota the opportunity to develop a unique fuel cell commercial vehicle on the iconic Hilux platform, in the UK,” going on to say that it will “significantly contribute to the skill base not only within Toyota in the UK but also through the consortium partners and wider supply chain.”
Chief Executive at the APC Ian Constance added, “supporting vital research and development in the UK, now more than ever, provides an opportunity to invest in transport decarbonisation as well as boost growth in the automotive sector.”
As well as working towards a greener future of transport, the deal will also create hundreds of jobs across the UK. According to the UK government website, the funding will be used to “develop and pilot production of a hydrogen fuel cell-powered version of the Toyota Hilux pickup truck. This will support more than 250 jobs across the UK over the next decade. Toyota have sites at Burnaston, Derbyshire, and Deeside, North Wales.”
Other companies who secured funding include Electrified Automation, HVS, Constellium, and CNH Industrial, all of whom are working on clean transport projects and initiatives.
Hydrogen vehicles: focusing on new technology
In the last few years, we’ve seen a big push to develop new and greener ways to travel including a big advancement in electric vehicles, driverless vehicles, and even flying cars, and with this latest funding to support the progress of hydrogen technology, it seems we’re making strides in alternative ways to travel that are far kinder to our planet.
News that the ozone layer is beginning to heal after a collective and concerted effort across the globe demonstrates that working together can truly make a difference, and by funding important projects such as greener ways to travel, hopefully we will start to make an impact on reversing climate change as well.
