Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason hydrogen refuelling infrastructure has not been included in the Charging Investment Infrastructure Fund.

The purpose of the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund is to catalyse private sector investment into the electric vehicle chargepoint network. Electric vehicle infrastructure is at a different stage of market development to hydrogen and currently has sufficient viable commercial propositions which is suitable for investments of this type.

The government is committed to introducing appropriately targeted interventions in hydrogen to support its growth as a transport fuel in the UK. The government has allocated £30m funding to increase the uptake of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and roll out more cutting edge infrastructure – part of this funding has now been awarded to a successful consortium bid which will see additional hydrogen refuelling stations being built as well as upgrades to existing refuelling infrastructure. In addition, government funding has supported the opening of the UK’s first integrated forecourt hydrogen refuelling station at the Shell Beaconsfield site, making it the first location in the country selling hydrogen fuel as well as petrol and diesel.