World Hydrogen Summit Offers Opportunity For Fleet Insurers

Can battery powered tech really work for the Commercial vehicle market? Think about the number of stops and starts a typical Amazon, DPD or Evri driver does in one shift. Then factor in winter weather and a heavy package load in November and December as Christmas gifts clog the system. Yeah, not really likely to go swimmingly once the battery packs have a couple of years haphazard recharging at the depot.

So mabye hydrogen is a better bet for goods deliveries of all types, from HGV to fast food. Toyota, Renault and other car makers are beginning to wake up to reality and this May, for the second year, a Summit on hydrogen powered commercial vehicles is being held in Rotterdam. Renault are there and here’s the word from them;

• • This is an opportunity to test the Renault Master Van H2-TECH for customers in a country at the forefront of hydrogen mobility, which is strategic for HYVIA.
  • Meet HYVIA on stand C30 – Hall 6, to (re)discover the hydrogen van: zero emissions, 5mn refueling time and more than 400 km range.
  • On May 11 at 3:20 pm, Mehdi Ferhan, COO HYVIA, and Anouk Poelmann, CEO Renault Group Nederland, will host the conference “HYVIA & Renault Group Nederland: at the forefront of hydrogen mobility”.
• HYVIA is gaining momentum in the Netherlands, with the support of Renault Group Nederland:
  • At the launch of HYVIA in the Netherlands, 4 dealers will ensure the preparation, maintenance and repair services of hydrogen vehicles. The appointed dealers are Terwolde Groningen, Stam Amersfoort, Bochane Arnhem and Van Mossel Rotterdam.
  • The dealers are located on key locations in 4 strategically selected cities, to cover a vast territory of the country from the start. Today, these sites are already dedicated to light commercial vehicles in terms of equipment and organization.
  • Signing of the first order in the country with GP Groot, a major player in circularity and renewable energy.
• HYVIA also announces the creation of HYVIA Financial Services: a financing solution for H2 vehicles and refueling stations that will be progressively deployed in Europe.

Obviously there is an opportunity here for fleet insurance specialists, to provide customised insurance cover, which can be upgraded depending on goods in transit, driver experience, location, miles covered, telematics data etc. Howden and ING are sponsors at the Hydrogen Summit and this technology is making headway in the UK too, even if the filling station infrastructure is severely lacking right now.

UK broker Adrian Flux already has a hydrogen car page, which details the cover available for pioneers who choose the Hyundai Nexo or Toyota Mirai.

Vauxhall which is part of Peugeot-Citroen, has also launched a hydrogen cell EV van, which can be refilled in just three minutes. That elimates the downtime of charging a conventional EV battery pack for up to 8 hours and in business, downtime is never good news. You don’t make money when a van is parked.

More info on the Rotterdam summit here.