First Hydrogen Corp’s demonstrator hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered vehicles (FCEVs) are planned for operational trials with several parcel delivery companies starting this year.

Until now the company has conducted successful fleet operator road trials with companies in sectors such as utilities, that require zero emission vehicles with the capability to travel further and carry heavier payloads.

First Hydrogen’s FCEV can travel more than 300 miles on a single tank of fuel, further than equivalent battery electric vehicles (BEV) on a single charge, and can carry heavier loads without compromising on range.

With fast refuelling – approximately five minutes compared to five hours for BEV charging – it also means more vehicle uptime.

Steve Gill, CEO of First Hydrogen Automotive, said: “Carbon reduction targets, low and zero emission zones in cities and phasing out of diesel and petrol-powered vehicles is positioning hydrogen mobility as a realistic solution to the challenges last-mile delivery operators face.

“Fleet managers are realising that battery electric vehicles (BEV) alone will not provide the reliability and operational flexibility required to meet customer demands.

“Future fleets require a mix of BEV and FCEV to overcome these obstacles and hit net zero targets. The large, growing parcel delivery sector desperately needs to build environmentally friendly and commercially viable fleets, and our hydrogen LCV can help to do that.

“This presents us with an exciting opportunity to explore a new customer base, enabling us to further accelerate business growth and potentially bring our vehicles to market quicker.”