1. The UK’s first custom-built, hydrogen-fuelled waste collection vehicle arrived in St Helens in September. Could you tell us what sets Bluepower apart?

The first thing that sets Bluepower apart is the fact that FZ UK have OEM [original equipment manufacturer] status, which means our product has been rigorously tested, and that we have whole vehicle type approval. That’s a huge tick in the box on compliance.

But the main thing is: our technology is located within the chassis rail. You’ve got the control units and the cooling system behind the cab. Everything else – the tanks etc. – is contained within the chassis rails as it would be if it was a diesel truck. It means you don’t just have to have an RCV body on the back. You can also have a tipper, a gritter – whatever you need. The Bluepower has been opened up to a load of different markets.

2. You’ve said that FZ UK do more than simply deliver trucks to councils. Could you talk us through FZ UK’s wider offer?

We build the truck to the customers’ requirements – whether that’s the Bluepower or an electric RCV. Before we sell a product, we fit a data logger on their equipment or we lend them a truck with a data logger on it. We send it out on rounds and collect all the relevant information including miles per gallon, how many compactions etc. We then put that data into an algorithm which converts it into kilowatt hour energy. We can then be sure we’re providing the customer with the truck that is most suited to their needs.

But we’re not here just to sell you a truck. The whole ethos behind what we’re trying to do is to offer a turnkey solution. If you haven’t got the infrastructure in place for your electric vehicle, we’ll help you. If you go for Bluepower, for hydrogen fuel cells, we’ll also help you put the right infrastructure in place. We can also help with training, communication – everything. It’s a cradle to the grave approach.

St Helens Borough Council, for example, have got one Bluepower truck and we supplied its fuel station. When they place orders for more Bluepowers, we’ll help them scale up. We’ve also looked at their workshop facilities to ensure they are suitable for a hydrogen truck, and we cover the maintenance of the Bluepower for the first two years and train the council’s engineers in how to look after it. FZ UK are also helping the council with communications and talking to the local colleges to build a mini hydrogen community.

3. Do you find there’s much appetite for alternative fuels among councils? What kind of barriers are they up against?

The appetite has definitely improved. In the last six months almost every other call for me is about alternative fuels. The biggest stumbling block is cost. The step up from a diesel to an electric or hydrogen vehicle is quite a bit. What local authorities need to understand is that it’s not just the ticket price; it’s about the whole life cost. They also might not need the most expensive products. We can help them to understand what their needs are.

One of the problems is councils are given X amount of money and told to get a green vehicle. And some of them just get something to tick a box. That’s not the way to do it. It’s about pressing the reset button. Don’t just look at replacing like for like; your maintenance regime is going to be different, your fueling is going to be different. You can’t look at it in the same way as when you had a diesel truck. People say to me: ‘Well, we’ve always done it like this.’ I used to drive a Ford Cortina, but now I drive an electric car. Things change! They need to first of all understand what their needs are. FZ UK can help them work this out before putting the correct package together.

This article first appeared in the winter issue of LAPV. To subscribe for free click here.