Ballard Power test drives First Hydrogen LCVs

First Hydrogen Corp. (“FIRST HYDROGEN” or the “Company”) welcomed Ballard Power Systems (“Ballard”) to test drive its first-generation zero-emission light commercial vehicle (“LCV”) at AVL Powertrain’s engineering facility in Basildon, UK.

Ballard partnered with First Hydrogen to develop these first-of-their-kind hydrogen-powered LCVs. The two Generation I vehicles use a combination of Ballard’s latest LCS fuel cell stack and First Hydrogen’s proprietary technology.

The First Hydrogen vehicles will be deployed with major fleet operators that have already enrolled to drive the hydrogen zero-emission LCV’s. One of the UK’s largest fleet operators will start the test drive process imminently. A total of 15 major fleet operators have registered to participate as part of the UK Aggregated Hydrogen Freight Consortium (“AHFC”).

The Generation I vehicles act as proof of concept and enable fleet operators, refueling services and prospective customers to test fuel cell vehicles in real-world conditions. The LCVs are currently undergoing vehicle evaluation and mileage accumulation, which will support optimised vehicle efficiency. The data collected enables First Hydrogen to accurately calculate fuel consumption and vehicle range under different driving conditions and inform future vehicle development.

Ballard’s LCS fuel cell stack technology was chosen for its maximum performance and lifetime durability, which helps to further optimise the total cost of ownership (“TCO”) and make the transition to zero-emission vehicles financially competitive. To support the move to net zero, First Hydrogen is also developing an end-to-end ‘Hydrogen-as-a-Service’ solution, providing fleets with green hydrogen fuel, fleet aftercare and zero-emission vehicles.

David Mucciacciaro commented: “We were pleased to experience First Hydrogen’s LCV first-hand and delighted to see how our leading fuel cell technology performs on the road in a light-duty application. Our plans to expand Ballard’s fuel cell production will enable the scale-up of the fuel cell market as we see continued investment and customer interest.”

Robert Campbell added: “Our close working relationship with Ballard has played a key role in developing First Hydrogen’s first generation of zero-emission LCVs. This was Ballard’s first visit to see the vans and we were keen for their team to see the vehicles in action before they enter our key fleet trial programme in the coming weeks.”