Horsham company helps pioneer next generation of hydrogen electric cars
A hydrogen electric car manufacturer has teamed up with a Horsham business and Steyning farm to demonstrate the ease of hydrogen refuelling in vehicles.
The car maker – Riversimple – is pioneering the next generation of zero emission vehicles using hydrogen, not batteries and which emit nothing but water – and refuel in under five minutes.
Riversimple is based in Wales but has joined forces with Horsham-based energy storage specialists Engas Global – whose chief executive Amitava Roy is currently driving one of Riversimple’s cars, called a Rasa, and refuelling it at a farm in Steyning.
The Steyning Engas Global site produces 20kg of hydrogen a day, enough to power around 60 to 70 Rasas. The cost of the green hydrogen is currently equivalent to diesel and petrol but it is expected to drop.
A containerised electrolyser at the Steyning farm produces green hydrogen using surplus electricity from the farm’s biogas-combined heat and power plant – and is an independent system of hydrogen production, compression, storage and refuelling, which is unlocking energy independence, diversified income and community connections for the landowners.
Amitava said: “The Riversimple Rasa is helping to show just how simple and achievable hydrogen refuelling can be ... Engas Global Steyning is demonstrating that with our complete system you can have a safe, green hydrogen refueller up and running quite quickly – with potential extra income and clean fuel on site for the farmer.
“I think the idea that our hydrogen needs only to come from enormous refuelling stations in order to reach the necessary provision, is wrong. Let’s approach hydrogen like solar PVs: small arrays are great, and have been rolled out successfully in homes and businesses to meet varying demands – and this fits in very well with large solar generation sites too, as hydrogen can.
"It’s all about getting the demand/supply provision spot on, and moving with agility to respond to demands, which is something large corporations sometimes struggle with. The Engas system is ready and able to replicate, and can work in tandem with other, larger suppliers.
“The Rasa is really turning heads, and I’ve had several farmers ask if they can have one as an off-farm vehicle!”
Riversimple founder and director Hugo Spowers said: “The Engas Global system and the farmer are proving that green hydrogen fuel and hydrogen electric mobility is not a distant goal, but a viable, practical solution today. It’s incredibly straightforward; driving off in the Rasa, knowing that the hydrogen was created locally using 100 per cent renewable energy, is immensely satisfying.”