Oxfordshire County Council’s main highways contractor, M Group, has introduced a 3.5-tonne maintenance truck running on hydrogen and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), Biofuels Central reported. The outlet described Oxfordshire as England’s first local authority to deploy hydrogen for highways maintenance, while the truck is also the first hydrogen-powered vehicle in M Group’s 10,000-vehicle UK fleet.
Hydrogen technology specialist ULEMCo converted a conventional maintenance truck for the trial, with M Group paying for the work. ULEMCo is also due to convert a second vehicle, likely to be a medium-sized or larger heavy goods vehicle. That vehicle is expected to join the Oxfordshire fleet in early 2027, extending the deployment beyond the initial truck.
The dual-fuel vehicles will carry workers and materials to road repair and improvement sites across the county. Highways crews have undergone detailed training in refuelling, maintenance and operation, with particular attention to the safety of drivers and the public. Feedback from drivers will be assessed alongside operating costs and fuel-use efficiency to judge the trial’s performance.
Biofuels Central reported that the HVO and hydrogen fuel combination delivers average tailpipe carbon emissions reductions of 30–40% compared with diesel. It also cited lower emissions of pollutants affecting air quality, including nitrogen oxide. The report presented these reductions as supporting both the contractor’s and the council’s efforts to cut emissions from their operations.
M Group Highways is targeting net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, while the council has set a 2030 net-zero target for itself. Councillor Liz Leffman, the council’s cabinet member for highways construction and repair, said the authority also wanted to help Oxfordshire become carbon neutral well before 2050. She presented the collaboration with M Group as a practical trial intended to reduce emissions and improve local air quality.