England’s first ever purpose built hydrogen fuelled Refuse Collection Vehicle (see above) has reached St Helens Council heralding a new innovation in cleaner fuels and zero emission collection vehicles. It really feels a very significant step forward, particularly in a region striding forwards in Hydrogen usage including HYNET and initiatives with Pilkington Glass and the Council implementing a H2 bus fleet.

The launch was today (20th September) and the demo illustrated how quiet the vehicle is compared to a diesel RCV (which was operating alongside it). The vehicle takes around 20 minutes to refuel and should be able to do more than a full day’s work on a full tank.

It has taken a proactive Council to embark on this technology, as is always the case with a ‘first’. The business case would probably not stand up in a conventional sense, but requires total life costs to be considered and wider factors such as the benefits in terms of furthering the Hydrogen economy, local skills and public benefits (e.g. reduced local air pollution). That said, as we know from new technology in other areas, costs will fall as vehicle production and associated infrastructure becomes established over time, and we need pioneers to take the first leap.

This is nonetheless not a procurement without some assurance of success – Hydrogen fuelled RCVs have been running in Germany for some time and the choice of vehicle in St Helens case is, if anything, ‘over specified’ to ensure that it should be able to withstand all demands placed upon it and provide some useful learning around the effectiveness and efficiency of the vehicle. This learning will be of benefit to the sector as a whole and the vehicle will be run alongside a new diesel fuelled vehicle equivalent to identify variances in performance, maintenance demands, fuel use etc.

The procurement is a small step in terms of the Council’s 2040 pathway to net zero, but its impact could be felt much wider across the sector and for the UK as a whole. The vehicle is provided by Faun Zoeller and is a Rotopress design, which has less moving parts and a lower fuel consumption than other designs of RCV and will be collecting garden waste in its initial work as this is more readily compacted using this system.

Frith Resource Management are working with St Helens Council on their Resource & Waste Strategy and look forward to seeing the vehicle in operation in the coming months. For more information on alternative vehicle fuels or waste strategy, contact cherie@frithrm.com see www.frithrm.com or call 01746 552 423.