Fleet car company Arval and Swindon’s strategic public sector and private partnership ‘The Hydrogen Hub’ showcased the latest Hydrogen car technology and local dealerships Hyundai and Toyota showed off vehicles that use the latest Hydrogen fuel cells.
At the roadshow was the new Nexo SUV from Hyundai which is the UK’s first specifically designed for-Hydrogen manufactured SUV.
Hydrogen technology sits alongside electric and electric-hybrid technology as a key component zero-emission technology and part of the future of the automotive world.
Swindon boasts two hydrogen fuelling stations, one close to the Honda site and one at Johnson Matthey by junction 16.
The Hydrogen cell creation technology in cars uses electrolysis to separate water into Hydrogen (which is then stored) and oxygen. Then inside the vehicle the oxygen is sucked in through the car’s vents, is purified by filters and then combined with the stored hydrogen to generate electricity.
Hydrogen technology is a zero-emission technology with the only by-product being pure water vapour and cleaner air. Not only does it emit nothing but water from the tailpipe, but is also “cleans” the air as it drives.
Dominic Threlfall, managing director of Swindon’s Hyundai dealership, Pebley Beach and Switch on to Swindon Ambassador said;
The Nexo on display is one of only 15 currently in the UK and Pebley Beach based in Swindon has exclusive rights to sell it to the UK market.
The Nexo SUV will take its driver and 4 passengers from 0 to 62 in 9.54 seconds and is capable of a top speed of 111mph. It has a range of over 400 miles and its 3 hydrogen fuel tanks can be refilled in around 5 minutes.
At the talk today visitors heard that whilst battery-powered vehicles are seen by the motor industry as good short-term alternatives to petrol and diesel, hydrogen promises a more sustainable solution to greener motoring.
This is due to the fact that the majority of electricity used by electric vehicles comes from fossil fuel burning stations, whereas hydrogen refuelling stations generally generate fuel on-site and are able to power themselves with wind turbines. With quick refuelling, longer travelling distances, Hydrogen is seen as the future fuel of trucks, trains and buses.
The unit at Johnson Matthey – situated at Lydiard Fields close to the M4 – can currently generate 100kg of hydrogen a day – enough to refuel around 15 cars.
As both a manufacturer of Hydrogen Fuel Cells and with an exclusive deal with Hyundai to sell these cars into the UK market, Swindon is well placed to help lead on Hydrogen use in cars of the future.
