Hydrogen essential for the future of UK transport, says think tank

Hydrogen fuel is essential to reduce air pollution and carbon emissions from the UK’s transport fleet, says think tank Centre for Policy Studies in a report published today (June 4).  

The government has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, and with transport being one of the main culprits of these emissions and one of the main source of air pollution, the think tank is urging the government to look at hydrogen as a solution to these problems. 

According to report, as we move towards more electric vehicles, with plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035, there is a danger of other vehicles being left behind, which the report says could forfeit future economic opportunities. 

The think tank is urging the government to ensure progress is made on cleaning up not just cars, but heavy-duty vehicles as well, like buses, trucks, trains and ships. In these instances, hydrogen is a much more suitable fuel because it has a higher energy storage density than lithium-ion batteries.

According to the authors, embracing hydrogen would also give Britain an opportunity to lead the world in a vital sector and create thousands of ‘green’ jobs.

The report contains a range of recommendations, such as setting out a UK-wide hydrogen strategy, ensuring that, setting a target of 2038 for the UK bus fleet to become zero-emission, introducing clean air targets in line with WHO guidelines and introducing strategies to decarbonise HGVs, buses, trains, shipping and aviation. 

Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport, said: ‘As we begin the road to recovery from Covid-19 and rebuild our economy and infrastructure I am clear we can’t just go back to how we were before.

‘We have the opportunity to create a more prosperous, stronger and greener country and transport will be at the heart of that.

‘Therefore, I welcome the work done by the Centre for Policy Studies and others to come up with new and innovative ways to deliver on this government’s ambitious decarbonisation agenda.’

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