Vauxhall customers get to grips with hydrogen power as UK van trials commence

Vauxhall’s new hydrogen vans have officially begun their first UK customer trials. With some of the country's largest fleets behind the wheel, can hydrogen power finally become part of a zero-emissions future?

While electric vans continue to stumble onto the UK scene, it feels like hydrogen powertrains are rebuilding momentum. There’s plenty of noise surrounding the not quite road-ready Toyota Hilux Hydrogen, and the upcoming hydrogen powered Renault Master, but are Vauxhall’s new vans set to get the jump on the competition?

This hasn’t come out of nowhere: Vauxhall’s current hydrogen fuel cell tech is more than 20 years in the making. That said, putting hydrogen vans in the hands of some of the UK’s largest fleets to evaluate and gather feedback, and targeting customer deliveries by 2025, represents a big move from Vauxhall towards a zero-emissions future.

Vauxhall Vivaro Hydrogen

The Vivaro Hydrogen — the UK trial’s guinea pig — has already shaken things up in left-hand drive markets under its Opel moniker, where it claimed the title as the first commercially available production hydrogen van. 

Based on the Vivaro Electric (the best-selling electric van in the UK for the past 3 years) the hydrogen variant partners a 45 kw fuel cell with a 10.5 kwh battery to generate 249 miles of range. This already leaves its electric twin behind at the 205-mile mark, and the competitive E-Transit Custom at 209 miles to plug in and charge, but the real magic happens once the tank is empty.

Rather than a 40-minute re-charge, the 5 kg underfloor hydrogen fuel tanks can be replenished in just five.

The hydrogen Vivaro isn’t limited to running marathons either, it can also handle the sprint. A LEZ compliant navigator, the electric battery provides ‘dynamic peak power’ to boost start-up and acceleration, assisting throughout stop-start urban delivery shifts. As a neat backup, the electric battery can be plugged in to charge if necessary, unlocking 31 miles of pure EV range.

Matching the environmentally friendly ethos, we’ve spotted the trial vans on Michelin Agilis 3 tyres — a sensible move for whatever distance you plan to traverse.

Despite tucking away plenty of hydrogen tech, some nifty packaging has meant the hydrogen Vivaro can offer the same 6.1m³ cargo area as its ICE sibling. However, like the electric variant, the weighty batteries and tanks do eat into the payload, bringing it down from 1.4 tonnes to a single tonne.

Vauxhall Movano Hydrogen

If the Vivaro’s limited payload has set your alarm bells ringing, fear not. Vauxhall’s largest LCV — the Movano — is being lined up for the same hydrogen treatment by the end of the year, before it hits the streets in 2025. 

Capable of carrying a 17m³ cargo haul and a 1.37-tonne payload, the hydrogen Movano offers an even more impressive range of up to 311 miles, while maintaining the same sub-five minute refueling time.

The electric motor pumps out 110 kw (or 150hp in old money) and up to 410 nm of torque, as well as using a slightly bigger battery than the Vivaro (11 kwh) to provide the same kick off the line and during acceleration. 

In the same vein as EV charging points, hydrogen infrastructure is often cited as a critical speedbump on the way to zero-emission commercial vehicles. Vauxhall have recently partnered up with Ryze Hydrogen in an attempt to buck this trend, but will this be successful? We reckon we’ll have to wait until these vans join fleets for real before we know for sure.

As with all hydrogen powered vehicles, the questions of whether they are ready for the real world, and whether the real world is ready for them, remain unanswered. But if Vauxhall’s UK trial is a success, will you be signing on to give hydrogen power a try?