The University of Birmingham worked with Porterbrook to fit an old electric train with a hydrogen fuel cell. Porterbrook provided the train, a fuel cell to convert the hydrogen into electricity, and engineering staff – a £850,000 investment in total. The university provided staff and research time to the value of £350,000.
The project was completed within nine months – in time to carry 500 people. The passengers were impressed enough for the scheme to receive £350,000 in Innovate UK funding from the Department for Transport for mainline testing of a hydrogen-fuelled train this year.
As a result, the University of Birmingham is expected to be at the forefront of innovation in the hydrogen supply chain in the UK, which is forecast to grow to be worth £1.6m per day and have global impact. This is great news for our members, congratulations University of Birmingham!
More Information
Please read the full article from The Guardian here.
