Shell opens hydrogen refuelling station on M40
Shell has announced the opening of a new hydrogen refuelling station on the M40 at Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire.
The Shell Beaconsfield station will be the first site in the UK to bring hydrogen under the same canopy as petrol and diesel. The hydrogen is generated on-site using an electrolyser that requires only water and electricity to generate the hydrogen gas.
Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles convert hydrogen into electricity to power the engine and produce only heat and water when driven. They can travel up to 700 kilometres on a single tank and can be refuelled in a few minutes.
In a statement issued today (27 March), Mike Copson, Hydrogen Business Development Manager at Shell, said: “We’re delighted to be opening a new refuelling site at Shell Beaconsfield, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to hydrogen as a vital part of the UK’s future transport system. Bringing hydrogen under the canopy for the first time is a fantastic step towards making it a convenient and viable fuel choice for UK drivers.”
The hydrogen station at Beaconsfield is the fifth hydrogen refuelling site in the UK to be supplied by ITM Power and will be the first to be opened as part of the H2ME project. The initiative has been partially funded by the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), and the UK’s Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).