Liverpool is to get hydrogen buses, having made a successful £6.4m bid to the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).
Up to 25 hydrogen-powered buses will hit the city’s streets, emitting nothing but water. The first hydrogen bus trial is planned for 2020.
The bid was put forward by a consortium led by gas company BOC, and includes Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Arcola Energy and manufacturer ADL.
Arriva and Stagecoach will also be involved as members of the city’s Bus Alliance.
The project will see a new refuelling station built at BOC’s hydrogen plant in St Helens, initially delivering 500kg of hydrogen every day.
Crucially, the project aims to demonstrate the commercial viability of a model that installs refuellers for high-use fleets, to develop a network for future use by passenger cars and other vehicles.
Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, says: “With a low-carbon economy worth more than £2 billion a year, we are already in the vanguard of the green energy revolution and the Liverpool City Region Hydrogen Bus Project is another very exciting step in that direction.
“Introducing commercially-viable hydrogen-powered buses would not only help our city region tackle poor air quality and achieve our ambition of being zero-carbon by 2040, but would put us at the forefront of a technology that could be transformative for the rest of the country and beyond.”
Rob Jones, MD of Stagecoach Merseyside, Cheshire and South Lancashire, says: “We’re delighted to be working closely with our Bus Alliance partners to develop and pioneer new approaches in sustainable travel, and ensure the Liverpool City Region meets its carbon neutral targets and continues to set a direction for sustainable travel which will be an inspiration for cities across the North.”
Howard Farrall, Arriva Merseyside MD, says: “We are delighted that the Liverpool City Region is once again leading the way with bus innovation and we are happy to take part in this project."
