The take-up of hydrogen cars will be led by local authorities and bigger fleets “with tough emission targets” according to Kit Malthouse, deputy mayor of London.
Talking exclusively to BusinessCar at the London leg of the European Hydrogen Road Tour 2012, which aimed to raise awareness of hydrogen technologies, Malthouse said the fleets that will start adopting hydrogen will be the public sector including firms such as the Royal Mail and city councils.
“They would be the start, but big private fleets may also have the courage to contribute to this, not least because they have emission targets.”
He continued: “The first adopters will be the sort of firms that want to make a point.
“Some smaller companies do take on new technologies, but it’s the bigger companies that can take the risk, especially with corporate social responsibility.”
The big issue for businesses is the supply chain that is affected by residual values and financing, said Malthouse, who admitted this was a hurdle for hydrogen vehicles.
When asked about potential Government subsidies for purchasing hydrogen vehicles, echoing the scheme currently available for electric and electric-hybrid cars, Malthouse said he’d “like to think the hydrogen is so advanced that it doesn’t need a subsidy.
“I hope people would realise it’s a no-brainer.”
Hydrogen infrastructure remains a big problem with only 12 refuelling points nationwide currently, although these are growing in both London and other areas of the country.
Despite the push for hydrogen, the deputy mayor admitted that the UK has “a vested interest in the carbon economy”, with oil firms as some of its biggest companies, but added that hydrogen needed “an investment horizon” so that it started appealing to businesses too.
He also criticised electric vehicles describing them as “unpractical”. “You can’t guarantee a charging point for EVs unless you have a drive, and on top of that, most people are going to want a car for short and long journeys.
“For me, EVs are like the fax machine – an interim technology,” Malthouse added.
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