EG Group has invested £25m in a UK company developing a hydrogen fuel cell heavy goods vehicle (HGV).
HVS (Hydrogen Vehicle Systems Ltd) has already completed its first hydrogen medium commercial vehicle (MCV) prototype and says it is well under way in developing its second flagship HGV.
Conservative Party chairman Jake Berry was invited to take an early preview of the MCV prototype and said he foresees HVS and EG Group having the potential to provide enormous economic value to both local growth, jobs and export value.
He added: “This isn’t just a concept or pre-production vehicle, this is something truly ground-breaking, designed and built here in the UK that you are going to see here on the roads, in the UK, decarbonising our transport system.”
The two companies said they aim to advance the UK government’s declaration to become the first country in the world to commit to phasing out new non-zero emission HGVs. With their partnership, they said, EG Group has the potential to provide hydrogen refuelling infrastructure nationwide while HVS offers zero-emission freight vehicles, working together to bring hydrogen to the market.
EG Group initially invested £5m into HVS in 2021, and has now injected a further £25m.
Ilyas Munshi, group commercial director of EG Group, said: “We are committed to driving sustainability across our extensive UK and global fuel forecourt network by investing in HVS trucks, influencing the demand for hydrogen and vehicles in parallel from our large selection of partnerships.”
HVS CEO Jawad Khursheed stated: “HVS are honoured to have EG’s and Jake Berry’s trust and conviction in our brand. We are proud to be providing the solution of state-of-the art technology, design, efficiency within hydrogen vehicles. We are leading in the net zero target, providing the logistics industry with a pioneering vehicle that will give range, comfort and a greener drive.”
The MCV demonstrator visited by Jake Berry will be launched to the public later this year. The next steps for HVS are end-user trials, with a target to have its hydrogen trucks on the roads by 2025.
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