Royal Mail to trial hydrogen power for their Ford Transit vans

Ford Transit vans powered by hydrogen will go on trial with the Royal Mail. The Transit vans are based on the 2.3 litre petrol derivative but run with the addition of a supercharger and the hydrogen tanks that are fitted under the load floor. Whilst the Transit vans will maintain the same load volume, the gross payload is affected because of the 250kg weight of the extra fuel tanks.

With a range of 85 miles, the Ford Transit vans should meet the demands of the Royal Mail’s Stornaway depot in Scotland. However, the petrol tanks are not removed from the Ford Transit vans so they should never get stranded.

The Ford Transit vans have been converted by specialist firm, Revolve. The future of the technology is somewhat in question given that a single van from Revolve could cost fleets £45,000 over the normal Ford Transit van price.

Technical Director, Paul Turner, admitted that selling the vans wasn’t going to be easy: “Fleets won’t buy them because there is no re-fuelling infrastructure and the garages won’t create an infrastructure because there are no hydrogen vans for sale.” However, by covering the usual warranty on the engine and hydrogen parts and by launching such an ambitious trial, perhaps Revolve will be able to kick-start the call for hydrogen-fueled vans and cars.

Van insurance premiums often differ depending on the type of fuel used. Whether the use of hydrogen fuel affects the insurance premium is yet to be seen. However, with Van Compare, we contact leading insurance providers bringing you cheap van insurance. So if there is a reduction in insurance premiums, we will be the first to let you know.

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