Toyota Welcomes the Launch of London’s First Hyfive Hydrogen Refuelling Station
ITM Power (AIM: ITM), the energy storage and clean fuel company, today officially launched its first public access hydrogen refuelling station in London at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington. The station was opened to the public by Andrew Jones MP, Transport Minister at Department for Transport, and was supported by Toyota and fellow automotive manufacturer members of the European HyFive consortium, Hyundai, Honda and Renault’s technology partner Symbio FCell.
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).
Transport Minister Andrew Jones MP, who today announced a £2 million government fund to support the roll-out of 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, that will make it easier for more people to switch to this exciting new technology.”
Located at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, the hydrogen refuelling station is close to the A316 and A308 trunk roads and is available for commercial and private fleets operating fuel cell electric vehicles. Delegates took part in a ‘ride and drive’ that showcased a range of fuel cell electric vehicles, including the Toyota Mirai saloon and models from Hyundai and Honda.
Paul Van der Burgh, Toyota (GB) PLC 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. We are pleased to continue our support for the wider provision of hydrogen fuel outlets, which will encourage increased customer uptake of zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell vehicles such as the Toyota Mirai saloon.”
Dr Graham Cooley, CEO, ITM Power, commented: “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. ITM Power is grateful for the co-operation of our HyFive partners and for the funding support of FCH JU and OLEV.”
Teams from ITM Power and BOC Linde are to commission and open a further four electrolyser-based refuelling stations in and around London before the end of 2016.
ENDS
Notes to editors
About ITM Power plc:
ITM Power manufactures integrated hydrogen energy solutions which are rapid response and high pressure that meet the requirements for grid balancing and energy storage services, and for the production of clean fuel for transport, renewable heat and chemicals. ITM Power plc was admitted to the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in 2004 and raised its initial funding of £10m gross in its IPO. Further funding rounds of £28.5m in 2006, £5.4m in 2012, £2m in 2013 and £10m in 2014 have been completed. The company received £4.9m as a strategic investment from JCB in March 2015. The Company currently has £13.94m of projects under contract and a further £6.52m of contracts in the final stages of negotiation constituting a total pipeline of £20.46m (subject to exchange rate variation).
About HyFIVE
Hydrogen For Innovative Vehicles (HyFIVE) is an ambitious European project including 15 partners which will deploy 185 fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) from BMW, Daimler, Honda, Hyundai and Toyota. To serve these vehicles, the project will create clusters of refuelling station networks in three parts of Europe, where six new stations (Danish Hydrogen Fuel, ITM Power and OMV) will be deployed linking them with 12 existing stations.
About FCH JU
The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) is a unique public private partnership supporting research, technological development and demonstration activities in fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies in Europe. Its aim is to accelerate the market introduction of these technologies, realising their potential as an instrument in achieving a carbon-lean energy system. The three members of the FCH JU are the European Commission, fuel cell and hydrogen industries represented by the NEW Industry Grouping and the research community represented by Research Grouping N.ERGHY
About OLEV
The HRS Infrastructure Grants Scheme was launched on 2 February 2015 by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) to support roll out of hydrogen infrastructure networks in the UK with the specific aim of encouraging the introduction of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs). The HRS Infrastructure Grants Scheme will provided grant funding for selected infrastructure projects seeding development of hydrogen for road transport in the UK.
