Ulemco has been awarded £1.3 million Government funding to trial a range of commercial vehicles with hydrogen dual-fuel technology.

The grant is part of a £20 million programme announced by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) aimed at cutting emissions and improving air quality through use of cleaner fuel and electric vehicles.

The freight industry accounts for about 30% of the UK's CO2 transport emissions and the money will help fleets get their new vehicles on the roads from mid 2017 onwards.

Ulemco set out plans for innovative ways to deploy low and ultra-low emission vehicles.

They will act as lead partner on the project, working with Westminster City Council, Veolia, London Fire Brigade, Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Commercial and Ocado.

Aberdeen City Council also has a plan to convert vehicles to dual-fuel hydrogen, including refuse trucks, HGV road sweepers and delivery vans. The project will demonstrate both the emission reduction potential of hydrogen replacing diesel, as well as the practical advantages of dual fuel operation.

Announcing the innovative project funding at the Sustainable Road Transport Conference in London, Transport Minister John Hayes said: 'It is fantastic that ULEMCo is willing to explore low and zero emission technologies, which will help improve air quality and reduce pollution in towns and cities.

'This is yet another important significant step towards this government's commitment to reduce carbon emissions from transport to help tackle climate change. We are already making headway through our investment in low emission vehicles, greener public transport and walking and cycling, as well as grants for innovative advanced biofuels projects'

Amanda Lyne, chief executive officer of ULEMCo, said: 'We are delighted to receive another vote of confidence in hydrogen dual fuel vehicles and their potential to deliver cleaner air for our towns and cities.

'There is good synergy with this project and the work we are leading to investigate adoption of mass market hydrogen commercial vehicles for China. In particular the diversity of application and partners in this project will help to show how hydrogen dual-fuel can become a practical solution for a wide range of fleet operations'