Aberdeen City Council has added the UK’s first hydrogen-fuelled bin lorry to its fleet.
The new addition is allowing the council to expand its “thriving” hydrogen economy, which includes the running of 85 hydrogen powered buses and public sector vehicles.
Using green hydrogen from existing refuelling infrastructure in the city, the new truck will start collecting waste and recycling from next month.
It will start with wheeled bins in certain city spots, including Garthdee, Bridge of Don and Mastrick, before moving to mixed recycling and bulk bins on other routes.
The hydrogen-fuelled vehicle is estimated to save more than 25kg CO2e/litre of emissions per year, compared to a diesel truck.
‘An important step forward’
Council Leader Jenny Laing 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.”
Councillor Ryan Houghton, the council’s city growth and resources convener, added: “Our work has been ground-breaking and the people of Aberdeen can be proud that our city is proving to be a catalyst for demonstrating how public sector fleet can be decarbonised, setting an example for other regions in the UK and beyond.
“The launch of the new waste truck comes hot on the heels of the new joint venture company with BP to deliver the Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub, and all of these projects cement our position as a pioneering, climate positive city and an important step forward in our hydrogen journey.”
Part of a trial run
Bringing the hydrogen bin lorry to Aberdeen was a collaborative process partly funded by the Interreg North-West Europe Programme.
Aberdeen City Council has been selected as a lead partner in the programme’s Hydrogen Waste Collection Vehicles in North West Europe (HECTOR) project, which will run until June 2023.
The new waste truck is one of seven which will be added to fleets across Europe in coming months.
They will be tested in different environments to demonstrate that hydrogen waste trucks can effectively reduce emissions.
It is hoped that each test site will continue to operate the trucks once the project ends, and the data will be collected to allow further rollouts of hydrogen-fuelled vehicles in the future.
Benefiting the environment
The waste truck is being manufactured and supplied to the council by European company Geesinknorba, while the chassis will be made by Hyzon Motors.
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.”
Dave Hughes, managing director of Geesinknorba Limited, added: “Geesinknorba is a forward-thinking manufacturer who is at the forefront of providing zero emission and carbon neutral collection solutions and like Aberdeen City Council, is passionate about reducing the impact of collection equipment and protecting the environment we all share.
“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.”