Aberdeen invests in hydrogen for refuse fleet

By Categories: NewsPublished On: Tuesday 22 February 2022

Aberdeen, the UK’s first ‘hydrogen city’, has put a fuel-cell powered refuse collection vehicle into service. The converted Mercedes Econic chassis will be fuelled with renewable ‘green’ hydrogen produced by wind-powered electrolysis, and is thought to be the first hydrogen RCV in service in the UK.

The truck will begin collecting waste and recycling around the city from early March, and will result in estimated emissions savings of over 25kg CO2e/litre across a year as compared to a diesel truck on similar routes, says the council, while also collecting data which will allow further rollouts of hydrogen-fuelled waste trucks in the future.

The truck is part-funded by the Interreg North-West Europe Programme as part of its HECTOR project – Hydrogen Waste Collection Vehicles in North West Europe. Selected as the project’s lead partner, Aberdeen City Council will add the RCV to its growing fleet of 85 hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles, including hydrogen-powered buses.

Each European deployment site will aim to continue operation of the trucks after the end of the project in June 2023 and, as the vehicles are operationally proven, they will gradually replace conventionally fuelled trucks.

The chassis was converted by Hyzon Motors, a global leader in fuel-cell electric commercial mobility which provides end to end decarbonisation solutions through its industry-leading zero-emission technology. The refuse collection vehicle was bodied and supplied to Aberdeen City Council by Geesinknorba, one of Europe’s largest providers of innovative refuse collection vehicles and compactors.

Craig Knight, co-founder and CEO of Hyzon Motors said: “Aberdeen is leading the UK’s transition to clean transport, and Hyzon Motors is proud to provide zero-emission solutions to realise these ambitions today.

“By delivering the UK’s first hydrogen-powered waste truck, Hyzon demonstrates its intention and readiness to supply the region with fuel cell electric vehicles to further our singular mission of decarbonising global freight.”

Councillor Jenny Laing, Aberdeen City Council leader, said: “Enabling truly ‘green’ transport is a key deliverable in our plan to deliver Aberdeen’s Net Zero Vision and our own plans to replace our vehicle fleet with alternative fuelled vehicles.

“Adding a waste truck powered only by hydrogen is another important step forward and builds on the zero emission buses and other public sector vehicles that are already here in the city.”

Dave Hughes, managing di­rector of Geesinknorba Limit­ed, added: “It is our mission to drive sustainability. We have worked closely in collaboration with Hyzon, the world-renowned hydrogen repower specialists, to provide the chassis on which we have mounted our Li-On Power Pro technology and this ensures zero carbon emissions when in daily operation which benefits the environment and the resi­dents of Aberdeen City.”