Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on using hydrogen as a fuel for road vehicles as an alternative to electrification while serving as an early market for low-carbon hydrogen projects.

The Department for Transport’s (DfT) pioneering R&D programmes, such as its £200m zero emission HGV demonstrator and the £23m Tees Valley Hydrogen Transport Hub, are co-locating transport supply with demand in order to address some of the early challenges seen with refuelling infrastructure.

The Government’s Hydrogen Strategy states that transport is a ‘crucial’ early market for hydrogen, which will drive some of the earliest low carbon production in the UK. DfT is working closely with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to meet this challenge.

Thus, in March 2022 the Government announced £30 million for the West Midlands Combined Authority to deploy 124 hydrogen fuel cell buses and accompanying refuelling infrastructure through its Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme. The Government has also provided £750,000 towards the UK’s first hydrogen train, Hydroflex, through the First of a Kind scheme.

The Government expects there to be cascade benefits for light duty vehicles from its R&D support programmes for heavier modes, for example through the expansion of publicly accessible refuelling infrastructure, available to all road transport.

The Department’s dedicated R&D funding for hydrogen is focussed on heavier applications, such as in maritime, aviation and road freight. Recent investments include £206 million for the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK-SHORE) and £200 million for the Department’s zero emission HGV demonstrator programme.