Hydrogen transport specialists ULEMCo have secured a £1.8m loan from Innovate UK to accelerate the development of a new range of solutions designed for vehicles that are notoriously hard to decarbonise.

The range, including fire engines, ambulances and HGVs, will feature a product that combines an electric motor with hydrogen combustion engines to replace the diesel engine in existing vehicles, as well as a hydrogen fuel-cell solution to extend the range of electric vehicles.

ULEMCo raised £5m last year in a funding round led by NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia Ventures as part of the first Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF) to help it develop the technology, and since then has achieved a number of milestones.

Earlier this year a hydrogen-powered baggage truck developed by the company was used at Exeter Airport in the first turnround of a commercial aircraft using renewable energy. ULEMCo has also recently introduced the HyTANKa – a fully autonomous mobile hydrogen fuel bowser to address the problem of delivering hydrogen to construction or other off-road sites.

ULEMCo currently offers a dual-fuel solution that allows heavy duty diesel vehicles to replace significant volumes of fossil fuel with zero-carbon hydrogen. It enables fleet operators to reduce carbon emissions without replacing their existing vehicles and continue to operate in areas with poor hydrogen supply.

In June this year, the government announced plans to tackle hydrogen supply chain challenges by investing £500m to create the UK’s first regional hydrogen transport and storage infrastructure and signed the first round of contracts to support private investment in production facilities.

Amanda Lyne, Managing Director of ULEMCo, said: “At ULEMCo we are focussed on finding practical ways to help companies cut their carbon emissions. Our dual fuel solution enables them to quickly convert existing vehicles and reduce the use of fossil fuels, however our goal has always been to offer zero emissions solutions too.

“We know that for many applications battery technology is not only very expensive, but it cannot match the operational needs of fleets. Therefore, we are excited about our new range, which will enable customers to fully decarbonise their existing vehicles at a much more affordable cost.”

Rob Hornby, Mercia Ventures, said: “ULEMCo is one of the UK’s leading innovators in the field of hydrogen transport and has built a thriving business, even though supply problems have so far limited uptake. With the government’s investment in infrastructure is expected to create renewed interest in hydrogen vehicles, ULEMCo will be well positioned to take advantage of the growing demand.”

For more information, visit www.ulemco.com.

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