A state-of-the-art new van will join Royal Mail‘s fleet in Aberdeen as part of a hydrogen vehicle trial.
The dual-fuel Ford Transit, which is powered by a combination of hydrogen and diesel, will serve postal routes across the city for the next 12 months.
Designed to test whether hydrogen fuel is a viable option for post vehicles in the future, the van has been provided by Aberdeen City Council through the EU-funded Civitas Portis initiative.
It is the first hydrogen-powered vehicle to serve in the Royal Mail fleet for a decade.
James Baker, chief engineer and fleet director at Royal Mail said: “As a company, we are committed to making changes to our operations that reduce our environmental impact.
“Hydrogen is viewed by many as a vital source of future sustainable energy; so, as such, is a perfect addition to our program of initiatives that enable us to assess ways of achieving this, while allowing us to continue to deliver letters and parcels safely, efficiently and responsibly.”
Councillor Philip Bell, Aberdeen City Council’s hydrogen spokesman, said: “We are absolutely delighted to support green transport technology in our city by providing Royal Mail with a hydrogen-powered van to operate from its Altens Mail Centre in Aberdeen for an initial 12-month trial period.
“Aberdeen is already a global leader in pioneering transport technologies and we at Aberdeen City Council have demonstrated our commitment to innovation by helping fund in partnership, the world’s first hydrogen-powered double-decker buses.
“We are determined to meet our environmental obligations by tackling air pollution while also establishing the city as ‘centre for excellence’ for hydrogen.”
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