UK fuel cell company says UK can lead acceleration of hydrogen vehicles Car News

A UK-based clean tech company has issued a call to action for leading industry figures to step up in the development of next-generation transport fuel cell technology.

Viritech, a company based in Warwickshire’s MIRA Technology Park, stressed the importance of implementing UK clean hydrogen technology in road, air and sea transport vehicles to ‘reclaim a position world leader in engineering ”.

The company estimates that 75,000 jobs can be created as well as £ 18bn of gross added value for the sector by 2035 and says hydrogen could be the next step for transport such as heavy goods vehicles. heavy), reducing lithium consumption and vehicle weight. The company added that hydrogen technology contributes to the UK’s strengths in automotive design and could solve several of the industry’s unresolved issues.

Speaking exclusively to Autocar, Viritech co-founder Matt Faulks said: “The UK is in the unique position where we are doing very well on our green grid. We’ve invested a lot in green technology outside of fuel cell technology and balancing the plans around the fuel cell and the things you need to make it work, such as storage systems.

“The problem is, we can’t market it from now on because we don’t have the infrastructure in terms of government support to really get things done. We are very seriously at risk of losing our position again as we did with lithium batteries.

Faulks also highlighted fears that the UK could fall behind in the global hydrogen market, citing a shortage of public funding in areas most vital for hydrogen development.

“You just have to look at the government funding that has been put in place for hydrogen and it’s tiny. Almost nothing is intended for transport. We are really lacking compared to what other European countries are doing. We are drastically in retreat and that should be a government target, ”Faulks said.

Viritech offers several detailed hydrogen-powered concepts, including the Tellaro SUV, the Jovian heavyweight and the SkyWolf helicopter, alongside the Apricale, a 1,100 hp hypercar set to go into limited production in 2023.