Hydrogen producer Air Products provided hydrogen and refuelling infrastructure for the trial of a new zero-carbon tourist transport network in the Peak District National Park.
The trial, which ran from 5 to 16 September, was delivered in partnership with stakeholders in the Peak District National Park and the neighbouring town of Chesterfield, and aimed to test the suitability of both FCEV and EV vehicles for use in the area. The proposed service will connect eight key locations and attractions including Chesterfield railway station, Chatsworth, and the Gateway development, which will act as a hub for a planned new ‘Peak Express’ network of tourist services when it opens in 2025.
The project aimed to explore alternatives to fossil fuels and gather feedback on customer experience. The electric and hydrogen electric buses were provided by Toyota and the trial will be used to gather data about each technology’s suitability for the varying terrain and refuelling needs. Manish Patel, UK Hydrogen for Mobility Director at Air Products, said: “It’s really exciting to be providing hydrogen to a project that could make an important contribution to UK carbon neutrality targets, and be a real asset to this region.
“We’re committed to finding solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. Our involvement in the trial is testament to both growing demand for hydrogen fuel and our intention to contribute to the decarbonisation of the heavy-duty transport industry. We’re looking forward to providing safe, reliable clean energy in this landmark trial.”
Once fully operational, the Peak Express service aims to remove 500,000 visitor journeys from the National Park, reducing CO2 emissions by 3.6 million kilograms per year and providing a national example of sustainable visitor economy growth. The long-term ambition is to see multiple hubs located around the Peak District National Park boundary.
Look out for more on this story in a future issue of CBW.
