A MAJOR UK manufacturer of firefighting and rescue vehicles has been awarded grant funding to develop solutions for hydrogen-powered vehicles.
Emergency One and their partners have been awarded £3.9m by the government, matched by industry to a total of £7.9m.
The HYER Power project will develop a hydrogen fuel cell range extender module that will integrate into electric vehicles used for specialist applications such as ambulances, fire engines and street sweepers.
Emergency One aims to demonstrate the feasibility of hydrogen-powered solutions
for use in firefighting and other emergency response applications.
The ultimate goal of the project is to promote the adoption of clean energy solutions in the emergency services sectors.
One advantage of hydrogen fuel cell technology is that it produces no harmful emissions, only water vapour, making it a greatly sustainable and environmentally friendly option.
In addition, fuel cells are highly efficient and can provide long-range operation with quick refuelling.
This makes them a solution for emergency services that need to operate in remote areas or for extended periods of time.
Chester Smith, director of Emergency One said: “This investment into cleaner solutions for emergency responders is a step in the right direction and we are lucky enough to be at the forefront of what we believe is industry-leading innovation.”
Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) will provide the customer input, trialling and dissemination.
The work will lead to a manufacturing-ready, zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell-based range extension system for electric vehicles.
Emergency One is a UK-based company that designs, manufactures, and maintains firefighting and rescue vehicles.
