ULEMCo is planning to roll-out its hydrogen-fuel technology to fleets after its converted vehicles were verified as achieving the definitions of ultra-low status by the VCA, the UK Vehicle Type Approval authority.
Ford Transit vans retrofitted with ULEMCo’s hydrogen gas system achieved emissions of 59g/km of CO2, representing a 70% reduction on the equivalent unconverted vehicle. Tests also showed a 40% reduction in NOx.
Amanda Lyne, CEO of ULEMCo, said: “We are delighted that our hydrogen-powered vans meet the requirements of VCA.
“The way is now open for us to roll out the system to fleet operators looking to dramatically reduce their diesel emissions in line with the overall UK commitment to reducing the impact on air quality and climate change.”
Using the dual fuel conversion, vehicles can run for around 200 miles on hydrogen before automatically switching to diesel when the store of hydrogen is used up.
The conversion equipment is designed to be fitted to standard commercial vans and can be switched between vehicles. Cargo space is not affected as the conversion kit fits underneath the vehicle.
Andrew Ryan is the features editor at Fleet News. He has been a journalist for more than 20 years and has specialised in the fleet industry for the past 12.
Robert Waring - 17/12/2014 08:33
This sounds like great news. The question will be how much and how easy will it be to retrofit/convert? If it reduces the engine dependence on EGR valves and DPF filters to reduce NOX emissions this can only be good for Fleet operators and should accelerate introduction of Hydrogen technology. Some other key questions:-What effect will this have on the efficiency of the engine, performance and rated power output? Has this data been analysed and recorded and are published figures available? What do vehicle fuel running costs look like in comparison to petrol and diesel? How easy will it be to service and maintain once fitted? I believe a number of major vehicle manufacturers were well down the road of introducing this technology but to date has not been introduced on a broad basis to my knowledge..