Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 18, 2024) - First Hydrogen Corp. (TSXV: FHYD) (OTC Pink: FHYDF) (FSE: FIT) ("FIRST HYDROGEN" or the "Company") has successfully completed hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle (FCEV) trials with gas distribution network Wales & West Utilities (WWU). WWU is exploring zero emissions vehicle technology to suit its operational requirements and the trials provided the transport team with the opportunity to experience the benefits of the Company's FCEV first-hand.
The Company's FCEV completed more than 2,000 km (>1,200 miles) over the four-week trial, travelling up to 189 km (117 miles) per day in some of South Wales' coldest conditions. The FCEV vehicle demonstrated its' capability for demanding duties, such as carrying heavier payloads, towing and powering auxiliary equipment (onboard power), as well as, the full power capability of the fuel cell module, with outputs higher than 60kW in transient accelerations. The trial had already shown there was no decrease in vehicle performance or range when operating in colder temperatures. The data recorded will provide great insight into the FCEV's performance in winter conditions.
More detail on the FCEV's deployment with WWU can be seen here.
Driver feedback
The FCEV was shared by two drivers from WWU's Network Emergency & Metering Services team who are responsible for emergency metering work for more than 7.5 million customers across Wales and the south west of England. Most of the vehicle's journeys were travelling to customer call outs, averaging 5-6 visits per day. The team has to respond quickly to calls and often covers long distances while transporting bulky equipment needed for repairs.
Alun Jones, First Call Operative (FCO) for WWU and driver in First Hydrogen's trials says: "First Hydrogen's van is lovely to drive and allowed us to get on with our job. The fact you can quickly refuel rather than charge up overnight is a massive advantage for us as sometimes we respond to calls from our homes in the middle of the night. I can definitely see the hydrogen vans working at WWU in terms of the efficiency we need."
Steve Morgan, FCO for WWU and driver in the vehicle trials, says: "Our van is everything for us; it's our office and it's how we transport our equipment and charge our laptops and phones so we can respond to call outs. Therefore, we need vehicles that are comfortable and reliable and that can carry everything we need. We do a lot of miles so also need the range."
Trial feedback
Stephen Offley, Transport Manager for WWU comments: "We are impressed with how the van operates and its overall performance - particularly as this is a prototype vehicle and we were breaking new ground by creating our own hydrogen vehicle ecosystem. Testing the vehicle with our FCOs meant we could demonstrate its use in a front-line service role and provide credible findings for us to share with our stakeholders and other fleet managers. The data generated from the trials also gives us a case to push for fixed hydrogen infrastructure in the area so we can benefit from faster refuelling and operational simplicity."
Generating data to fuel zero emission adoption
Crucially, the trials have provided First Hydrogen and WWU with important data that will help to inform future development.
Steve Gill, Executive Director Automotive, First Hydrogen, says: "We're thrilled with the feedback from Wales & West Utilities. Having covered more miles in a single trial than ever before, we have generated a significant amount of vehicle data. Sharing the van between two drivers, neither of whom has driven a zero emission vehicle before, has given us insight into how different driving styles can affect performance. By reviewing this data and speaking to the WWU team, we have identified further opportunities to improve fuel consumption and optimise efficiency.
"We have also gained valuable data, which enables us to model Total Cost of Operations (TCO), key information for fleet operators considering a transition to hydrogen fuel. We have presented our initial findings to the WWU board who responded positively and are keen to progress with next steps."
Importantly, these trials proved that hydrogen mobility is still possible for fleet operators without access to fixed hydrogen refuelling infrastructure. The trials were supported by Protium Energy Solutions, which provided green hydrogen to fuel the vehicle and Hyppo Hydrogen Solutions, who supplied a re-deployable hydrogen refuelling unit.
DataHorizzon Research reported the global hydrogen fuel cell vehicles market is projected to grow from US$2.2 billion (£1.7 billion) in 2023 to US$82.1 billion (£64.2 billion) by 2032, at 49.1% CAGR. It anticipates that fleet operators, such as WWU, will drive zero emission vehicle sales - which includes hydrogen fuel cell commercial vehicles - as they strive to decarbonise in line with government mandates to phase out fossil fuel vehicles by 2035.
First Hydrogen Corp. is a Vancouver, Montreal and London UK-based company focused on zero-emission vehicles, green hydrogen production and distribution. The Company has designed and built hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered light commercial vehicles ("FCEV") in partnership with AVL Powertrain and Ballard Power Systems Inc. The FCEV has a range of 630+ kilometres. These vehicles are being trialled with fleet operators in the United Kingdom. First Hydrogen is also developing a 35MW green hydrogen production facility and vehicle assembly factory in Shawinigan, Quebec.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of
FIRST HYDROGEN CORP. "Balraj Mann" Chairman & Group CEO
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The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of First Hydrogen as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. First Hydrogen undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.
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