The "Road to Hydrogen" is a demonstration project undertaken in the Teesside hydrogen valley to trial the first 19t GVW rigid truck powered by hydrogen fuel cells in the UK. Lessons learnt in this project will generate the insights required to improve the confidence of regional stakeholders, contribute to the long-term success of the Teesside Hydrogen Hub and will support the development of a local hydrogen supply chain.

The consortium includes Electra, the only UK-based OEM capable of providing a H2FC HGV in the given timeframe, Durham University a major academic institution with strong links to the Tees Valley, and Transport Research Laboratory and Element Energy organisations with substantial experience managing, monitoring and evaluating hydrogen trials. The project is also supported by Sainsbury's, a national retailer who will operate the truck from a local distribution centre, and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, which has a large public logistics fleet in which to operate the truck if required.

The project will deliver several innovations in relation to systems integration, hydrogen trial designs, and automation of the monitoring and evaluation process of hydrogen fuel cell vehicle trials. The project will engage with different stakeholder groups' and will investigate their awareness, perceptions, and attitudes towards hydrogen heavy goods vehicles. The project will identify future business opportunities in the region, to identify the needs to develop a thriving hydrogen ecosystem.

While this project is regional in nature, the outcomes are expected to help other regions across the UK to develop hydrogen transport hubs. Elements such as vehicles' reliability, costs, technical performance, operational constraints; policy landscape (enablers and barriers); and stakeholders' views will be easily applied UK-wide. Some of the other aspects such as the Hub's plans and roadmaps while niche, will also indicate some of the activities that other regions seeking to develop a hydrogen valley may want to pursue.