Ricardo has been awarded provisional funding for a hydrogen engine development facility in West Sussex.
On 1 September, Ricardo announced that it had developed a plan to modify one of its existing conventional engine test cells at its Shoreham Technical Centre in West Sussex as a hydrogen engine development facility. The planned facility will look to help bring forward the development of hydrogen powered vehicles as an emission-free and more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuel use.
Subject to the formal award of funding – expected later in 2020 – the project will provide a hydrogen generation, storage and transmission infrastructure designed to supply pressurised gas to an enhanced engine development test facility which can be used for research and development tests on hydrogen-fuelled engines and powertrains. The facility could establish the South East of England as a centre for alternative energy development, both protecting and growing high-skill technical employment, while helping the region to recover economically from COVID-19.
