Bristol hosts high-tech hydrogen road tour

Brunel’s great engineering masterpiece, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, will be the backdrop to high-tech low carbon innovation of the future when the city hosts a stop-over to the latest hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as part of the European Hydrogen Road Tour 2012.

Bristol, as a leader in the emerging hydrogen economy, has been chosen as one of nine European cities to host a special event stopover as part of the month-long road tour.

In a special Bristol H2 Transport Breakfast event this Thursday at the Create Centre organised by the Environmental iNet and the City Council, Bristol’s very own innovation - the UK’s first hydrogen-powered ferry - will be showcased alongside seven electric vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells participating in the tour from four manufacturers - Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota.

‘Hydrogenesis’, Bristol’s hydrogen-powered ferry is in the final stages of its pre-launch testing and certification process, before it begins a six-month trial as a 12-person passenger ferry on the harbour later this month.

The local consortium building the boat - Bristol Hydrogen Boats Ltd - and its supplier of the refuelling infrastructure, Air Products, will give presentations to industry experts on its innovative features and benefits and the potential to seed the development of further hydrogen powered transport and industrial projects in the city-region. 

Bristol aims to be a key hub in the hydrogen highway along the M4 linking  London, Swindon and South Wales and via the M5 to the Midlands.

Jas Singh, Managing Director of Auriga Energy Ltd and a spokesperson for the consortium said: “The innovative and ground breaking Hydrogenesis ferry will bring a new era of quiet and emission free operations to the Bristol Harbour and add to Bristol’s industrial heritage. This showcase is an exciting glimpse into the future of hydrogen powered integrated road and marine transport with Bristol at the leading edge."

Cllr Neil Harrison, Assistant Cabinet Member, said: “This is a great opportunity to showcase Bristol’s engineering and green tech excellence. The city has a thriving environmental technology sector and the hydrogen-powered ferry is an innovative project that is a genuine UK-first.

“There is a huge amount of interest in how we develop clean, green transport and how we demonstrate its commercial advantages.”