ITM secures Metropolitan Police fuel contract

Sheffield-headquartered ITM Power, the energy storage and clean fuel company, has secured a fuel contract with the Metropolitan Police.

Last month, ITM Power announced it would receive £4.3m out of a total £8.8m Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) funding to deliver the largest expansion of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure ever undertaken in the UK, and the roll out of 200 new Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) over the next 12 months.

The project includes FCEVs being procured by emergency services such as the Metropolitan Police. ITM Power has this morning announced the signing of a fuel contract to supply hydrogen to the Met Police’s new fleet of FCEVs.

Jiggs Bharij, head of fleet services, Metropolitan Police, said: “We are working closely with ITM Power to roll out our new fleet of zero emission vehicles. The quick refuelling time, comparable to that of a traditional internal combustion engine vehicle, and long driving range make Toyota’s hydrogen powered fuel cell electric vehicle an ideal zero emission response vehicle.”

Jon Hunt, alternative fuels manager at Toyota GB added: “We are delighted that the Met Police have selected the Toyota Mirai as the new zero emission response vehicle of choice. The emergency services, taxi fleets, and other return to base vehicle operators are important early adopters of hydrogen technology which will help pave the way for more widespread adoption of FCEVs.”

ITM Power CEO, Dr Graham Cooley, said: “I am delighted to announce our continued partnership with the Met Police in assisting with the roll out of their new fleet of FCEV response vehicles. This demonstrates significant progress in ITM Power’s strategic objective of providing refuelling services to operators of return to base FCEV fleets with heavy cycle usage. Establishing the infrastructure necessary to support these types of users is a first step in building out a national network of green hydrogen refuelling stations, which is an essential precursor to the large-scale adoption of FCEVs in the longer term. Working alongside our partners, Shell, Toyota, Honda and Hyundai, we are now in a strong position to lead this large-scale adoption in the UK.”

ITM Power currently has 12 wholly owned Hydrogen Refuelling Station (HRS) assets in its UK portfolio. Five are open to the public and three are under construction and due to open at the end of Q2 2018. Four further stations, now fully funded and in the planning stages, are due to open at the end of Q1 2019.

These stations have been funded by the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (the FCH JU), Innovate UK and the UK Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).