There are three models of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles available in the UK today - the Hyundai ix35, the Toyota Mirai and the Honda FCX Clarity. Many more car manufacturers have announced their intention to produce a fuel cell vehicle by 2020 including Kia, Nissan, BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz. The Office of Low Emission Vehicles has stated that fuel cell technology will play a strategic role in helping to deliver the Government ambition that all new cars be zero tailpipe emissions by 2040. In time, hydrogen fuel cell cars will become commonplace instead of unusual. There will be a network of hydrogen fuelling stations across the UK. Breakdown vans will need to be able to cover hydrogen vehicles, including the ability to top-up an empty fuel tank. The aim of this project is to design and build a mini hydrogen dispenser to be fitted into a breakdown recovery van. Success would be a working prototype, fitted to a service van, with training provided to a couple of engineers. A successful demonstration will enable all UK breakdown services to adopt this technology into their breakdown recovery vehicle fleets as demand grows.

This feasibility project investigates the techno-commercial benefits of integrating energy & waste management infrastructure, with clean transport within the urban area of Bicester. The project will demonstrate the added value of deploying the UK's first, multi (~10) MWe fuel cell CHP system, utilising the local municipal waste, within an “island” based electricity network & planned district heat network, as well as providing hydrogen for transport. Led by the system integrator Fuel Cell Systems Ltd, with partners across the supply chain including the University of Oxford, Oxfordshire County Council, Cherwell District Council, and Brookfield Utilities, the project will include work to determine the appropriate scale, cost, specification, energy balances, spatial configuration, phasing, planning requirements and societal benefits that can accrue from the use of an ultra- low emission, ultra-efficient fuel cell system, alongside the cross system benefits of creating locally generated hydrogen and utilisation of waste gas. Success will enable the partners to develop a new, highly innovative business model for an ESCo to revolutionise the long term energy supply for the future urban devlopments.