First Scots hydrogen centre opens 01 | 03 | 2017
SCOTLAND’S FIRST HYDROGEN specialist service centre has been opened by Scottish car giant Arnold Clark. The Aberdeen Toyota has serviced and prepped cars ahead of delivery to local business fleets, as part of a government initiative to increase the number of hydrogen-powered cars in the UK. (Related: Scots group to take on 270 apprentices)
The Arnold Clark branch was chosen by Toyota to service and deliver 10 Toyota Mirai hydrogren fuel cell cars to local businesses.
The move follows the UK government’s announcement of a £2m fleet funding support initiative in May last year, which encouraged more businesses to switch to hydrogen-powered vehicles.
The initiative will bring 20 hydrogen cars to UK roads this year, 10 of which were sent to Arnold Clark’s Aberdeen Toyota branch to be prepared, serviced and fitted with winter tyres before delivery to local business fleets. Some of them were then wrapped in custom livery before being delivered to their new owners.
The Scottish businesses which have adopted hydrogen technology are the NHS, SEPA and Aberdeen City Council. This will make Aberdeen City Council the biggest users of hydrogen fuel in the world.
Aberdeen Toyota will be a key branch for these early adopters, as it becomes just one of two UK centres with the facilities and trained staff to service the vehicles. The other hydrogen centre is in Edgeware, London.
Hydrogen cars are powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, which works by converting hydrogen and oxygen atoms into electricity, which in turn powers the car’s engine.
As a result, they don’t emit any carbon dioxide (CO2), only water. This makes them an ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV). The Toyota Mirai was the first production, hydrogen-powered vehicle.
Andy Evans (Pictured above, with Scott Gibson), from Arnold Clark Aberdeen Toyota, is one of only a handful of master technicians who have been trained to work on the Toyota Mirai.
“It was great to able to learn how to work with this new technology,” he said.”The main difference in servicing these cars is that they don’t have any engine oil, but otherwise they’re quite similar to ordinary cars, as they still use things like air filters and brake fluids.”
Scott Gibson, Aberdeen Toyota General Manager, added: “We’re extremely proud to have been picked to champion hydrogen fuel cell servicing in Scotland. Ultra-low emission vehicles are the future of motoring, and it’s great to be involved in this clean fuel initiative.
“Working with Toyota to train staff at the branch and prep the cars has been a real privilege, and we hope the NHS, SEPA and Aberdeen City Council are as excited as we are to get these fantastic cars on the road.”
Aberdeen has the most robust hydrogen infrastructure in the UK. Spearheading the ultra-low emission vehicle movement, the city was the first to open a hydrogen production and bus refuelling station back in 2015.
The station was opened to fuel the Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project, Europe’s largest hydrogen bus fleet.
Related: Arnold Clark opens 24th Motorstore
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Jim McGill