Metrobus selects Air Products as partner for pioneering hydrogen bus fleet

Metrobus selects Air Products as partner for pioneering hydrogen bus fleet

• Air Products to supply liquid hydrogen to fuel Metrobus’ new hydrogen vehicles

• Fleet of 20 hydrogen buses to be deployed in the Crawley, Horley and Gatwick Airport area

Brighton & Hove and Metrobus has agreed a 15-year hydrogen supply deal with Air Products, a world leading industrial gas company, to power a fleet of fuel cell buses for deployment in the Gatwick Airport, Crawley and Horley area.

Twenty of the single-decker GB Kite Hydroliner buses, manufactured by Wrightbus in Northern Ireland, will be delivered in June 2022 and will be the first hydrogen powered vehicles in the bus company’s fleet of around 400 buses. They are also the first hydrogen buses in Go-Ahead’s fleet of more than 6,000 buses, Metrobus’ parent company.

The buses will be deployed on the Metrobus Fastway route 10 in the Crawley, Redhill and Gatwick Airport area. Fastway is a network of guided busways and dedicated bus lanes designed to speed buses past congestion hotspots.

Hydrogen to fuel the buses will be produced from renewable energy from a variety of sources within the Air Products’ network. Hydrogen will be stored at Metrobus’ Crawley depot in liquid form, before being converted to gas held in tanks on the roof of vehicles.

The single-decker fuel cell buses are funded in part with money from UK government and European Union’s zero-emission bus schemes, plus investment from Gatwick Airport.

As well as having zero carbon emissions, hydrogen buses have long range capabilities and can be refuelled quickly in depots.

Ed Wills, Managing Director, Brighton & Hove and Metrobus, said: “We went through a rigorous process before selecting Air Products as our supplier. We were impressed not only with their environmental credentials but with the assurance that they would be ready to begin supplying us at volume from day one.”

Manish Patel, Air Products UK Hydrogen for Mobility Director, said: “We’re pleased to be partnering with Go-Ahead and Metrobus on the largest hydrogen supply contract for buses in the UK to date. It’s a huge milestone in the UK’s hydrogen for mobility sector.

“At Air Products, we’ve been involved in more than 13 million hydrogen vehicle fills across the world and have extensive experience over the last 60 years in delivering reliable end-to-end hydrogen solutions, from production to distribution and fuelling stations. Our innovative and unique solutions will provide Metrobus the infrastructure to not only fuel their initial fleet but allow for rapid expansion without additional footprint or cost.”

Go-Ahead is already the UK’s largest operator of zero-emission electric buses, with a fleet of nearly 300 nationwide, but this is the group’s first venture into hydrogen. Go-Ahead has set a target of transitioning to a zero-emission bus fleet across the UK by 2035.

Christian Schreyer, Group Chief Executive, Go-Ahead Group, said: “This is our first hydrogen supply deal and it represents a milestone in our plans to transition Go-Ahead’s entire fleet of buses to zero emission fuel.

“We’re delighted to be working with Air Products and with Wrightbus. This is an example of what can be achieved through a mixture of public and private funding, and of co-operation between different environmentally responsible partners.”

LSIP Update: Case for Change Sessions - Reminder to Book

Case for Change Subgroup Sessions, details below, are available to book on the Sussex Chamber of Commerce Website now.

If you have any issues using the website to book your session, please contact Sussex Chamber on this email to arrange booking: skills@sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Health & Care Monday 10 January – 12.00pm – 1.30pm

Construction Tuesday 11 January - 12.00pm – 1.30pm

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Digital Sector Wednesday 12 January – 12.00pm – 1.30pm

Engineering & Manufacturing Thursday 13 January - 12.00pm – 1.30pm

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Cross Cutting Themes that affect all sectors Wednesday 12 January – 3.00pm – 5.00pm

Education Providers session Thursday 13 January - 3.30pm – 5.00pm

Spooked in Threadneedle Street – UK inflation and interest rates

Spooked in Threadneedle Street – UK inflation and interest rates
Latest HSBC Economic commentary

Key points

• On 16December, the Bank of England announced an increase in UK Bank Rate from 0.10% to 0.25%, only the third time it has raised interest rates since the global financial crisis.

• The catalyst for this decision was the acceleration of inflation in recent months, with both the Bank of England and HSBC expecting the annual CPI rate to reach 6% in April 2022.

• HSBC anticipates three more rate hikes during 2022, which will take Bank Rate to 1.00% in August. But there are clear upside risks to this forecast so that borrowers should be prepared for the eventuality that 1.00% is not the peak of the cycle, especially if inflation fails to ebb as quickly as expected after the spring peak.

To read the full report, click here.