Arval will host a series of roadshows across the UK to raise awareness of hydrogen cars.

Arval is the vehicle leasing and fleet management provider that is part of the BNP Paribas Group. The roadshow will visit five locations, starting with Swindon on April 12, moving on to Oxford for May 17, Leeds on June 28, Birmingham on October 16 and London at a date to be determined later in the year. The first event in Swindon is taking place at National Trust property Heelis.

The focus of the roadshow will be to share Arval’s own involvement in hydrogen cars, built through a Swindon-based project called the Hydrogen Hub, which researches the viability of fuel cell technology for a range of domestic, commercial and transport applications in real world conditions.



Paul Marchment, senior business manager at Arval, said: “Thanks to the work we’ve done with the Hydrogen Hub, we have considerable expertise in running hydrogen cars. It is our aim and passion to share this knowledge through these roadshows.

“At each location, we want to reach audiences that together can help drive positive change – for example, businesses, the public, local politicians. We want to show them hydrogen vehicles from manufacturers such as Toyota and Hyundai, and explain how the technology works. Once you know more about the technology, you are more likely to adopt and champion it.

The Hydrogen Hub currently runs seven hydrogen cars with a range of fleet customers. The roadshows themselves each run for one day, divided into a morning and afternoon session. In the morning, around 150 invited delegates will hear from hydrogen experts, fleet operators using the vehicles, and car manufacturers including Hyundai, Toyota and Riversimple, a UK-based car manufacturer of hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles.

In January this year Alain Van Groenendael became chairman and chief executive officer of Arval, while Miguel Cabaca remains in charge of UK operations as UK managing director.