A significant step has been made in fuelling hydrogen buses on the streets of the UK with Ryse Hydrogen signing a three-year contract with Suttons Tankers to transport bulk hydrogen gas to different locations in the UK, starting with London.
Suttons will move the hydrogen, produced by Ryse Hydrogen in Runcorn, to the capital where Transport for London (TfL) will be operating 20 [page]es later this year.
The contract will be going live at the end of September with a phased transport solution leading to a day and night time operation once the capital’s fleet is fully operational.
Ryse Hydrogen founder and CEO Jo Bamford, who also acquired Northern Ireland bus manufacturer Wrightbus last year, has a vision for 3,000 hydrogen buses – about 10% of the UK’s total fleet – to be deployed across UK towns and cities by 2024.
These vehicles will release only water vapour and save an estimated 280,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year, the equivalent of taking roughly 107,000 cars off the road a year.
Wrightbus will be introducing fleets of state-of-the-art buses later this year in other areas such as Aberdeen, Belfast and Dublin, as well as London. There are also advanced conversations taking place with relevant authorities in Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Brighton, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Bamford said, “This is a hugely important step forward in kick-starting the hydrogen economy in the UK.”
“In order for us to get these buses running on UK streets we need to be able to transport the hydrogen from the production sites to the areas it is needed.”
Michael Cundy, Managing Director of Suttons Tankers, added, “We are thrilled to be awarded this contract with Ryse Hydrogen which represents a significant move in TfL’s pledge to offer more sustainable modes of transport.”
“This will demonstrate to the wider public transport sector the practical and environmental benefits of hydrogen fuelled technology.”
