Hydrogen van pullback slammed by Fleetcheck

Peter Golding, CEO at FleetCheck, said the model would have provided the best available chance for operators to assess the viability of hydrogen in real-world conditions.

Golding said: “We have been arguing for some time that hydrogen has a potentially important part to play in the future of zero emissions vehicles, especially in the light commercial sector where electrification is proving difficult for many businesses.

“The Vauxhall van promised a real opportunity for that to happen and the news that parent company Stellantis has decided to halt all production plans until at least the end of the decade is a major blow. We believed the UK launch was imminent.”

He said the reasons cited by Stellantis – poor availability of refuelling facilities, the high investment required and insufficient incentives to purchase – were all understandable, but this remained a disappointing moment.

Golding added: “We talk to operators every day who would like to electrify their van fleets but are hitting issues with range, payload and charging times.

“The promise of hydrogen is that it offers zero emissions without any of these compromises and the Vauxhall proposition was the opportunity to try this in the form of a familiar vehicle from a major manufacturer.

“Yes, significant hurdles would’ve remained, the biggest of which was the almost complete absence of a refuelling infrastructure. However, with no van, there is no way forward.”