The company will achieve this by establishing a new branch, HyFuels, revealed today (Oct 27), that will identify the best hydrogen production pathways and infrastructure for heavy duty goods vehicles (HGVs).

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The trials carried out by HyFuels will be particularly important for haulers that operate <26 tonne trucks, with it set to support companies in navigating decarbonisation targets proposed by the government, including a potential ban on diesel engines by 2035.

HyFuels is already in advanced discussions with major international providers of both hydrogen infrastructure and the fuel to deploy their first trials.

Among the first initiatives will be a number of hydrogen-ready mobile refuelling units that are able to quickly deliver hydrogen to refuelling sites on demand.

The first of these trials is set to begin in mid-2022 with HyFuels currently in discussions with international partners whilst also undertaking feasibility studies across its development sites.

It is hoped that, by 2025, HyFuels will have allocated 100 acres of its land to public access hydrogen refuelling.

Philip Fjeld, CEO of CNG Fuels, said, “HGVs alone account for 5% of all UK emissions, making their decarbonisation one of the single most important things the UK can do to meet our net zero ambitions.

“Renewable biomethane is and will continue to be the most effective decarbonisation solution for heavy transport for many years.

“However, we have launched HyFuels to ensure we are ready to support our customers’ journey to a multi-fuel future as new technologies become commercially viable and the fuel readily available.”

Baden Gowrie-Smith, CFO of CNG Fuels and head of hydrogen development for HyFuels, said, “We build our sites with our customers’ future needs in mind, acquiring additional space so we can expand as demand grows.

“This means up to 30% of our future land will be perfectly placed to deploy multi-fuel trials on some of the busiest haulage routes in the UK. As soon as these technologies are viable, we will be ready to support our customers in adopting the latest and greatest in low carbon technology.

“With increasingly aspirational decarbonisation targets set by government, our role is to support fleets in their journey to net zero, making it as simple and affordable as possible.”