The most popular van of them all – the Ford Transit – will soon be running on hydrogen power as part of a new project at London’s Stansted Airport.
An agreement has been signed between the airport and DHL Supply Chain for Hydrogen On Site Trials of ITM Power’s transportable high pressure hydrogen refuelling unit. Built with the support of a Technology Strategy Board grant, the unit will be in place by 2011 and will see two Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine Revolve Technologies Ford Transit vehicles operated on the site with hydrogen produced at the point of use.
The hydrogen refuelling station will be a self-contained module suitable for refuelling hydrogen road vehicles and forklift trucks. It generates hydrogen via electrolysis, compressing it and storing it before dispensing the gas on demand at high pressure.
As for the Ford Transit vehicles, they have been modified by Revolve Technologies. The conversions feature Ford’s 2.3litre four-cylinder petrol engine with the addition of a belt-driven supercharge with intercooler. This will provide additional combustion air under pressure when the fuel mode switch is selected to hydrogen only.
The fuel is then stored in three tanks which are below the vehicle floor. They have an estimated range of between 95miles on the urban cycle and 135miles on open highway running.
