First Hydrogen, a Canadian start-up based in Montreal and London, UK, is building a third hydrogen fuel cell-powered van for trials in Europe. The company hopes to benefit from the European Commission’s hydrogen incentives to develop its own zero-emissions light commercial vehicle platform.

The Canadian start-up has built two hydrogen fuel cell-powered vans since 2022, based on the VW Crafter/MAN TGE platform and featuring over 630 km of range. As these vans have completed their trial runs in the UK, the company is now building a left-hand drive model to showcase the FCEV in North and South America, but mainly in Europe.

Subsidies wanted

First Hydrogen explicitly mentions the European Commission’s hydrogen Integrated Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI), which aim to raise €43 billion, of which the start-up hopes to get a piece of the pie. The US’s hydrogen hubs, set to receive $7 billion, are also on First Hydrogen’s radar.

Zero-emissions platform for BEV and FCEV

The company has previously shown a concept version of its zero-emission light commercial vehicle platform, which, confusingly, also features a battery-electric version. The First Hydrogen BEV features a 50-150 kWh battery, with 150-500 km of range, while the FCEV has a 20 kWh battery and 8.4-14.7 kg of hydrogen capacity, with 600-1000 km of range.

But as is evident by the continued hunt for subsidies and other investments, the company is not yet close to launching its own vehicles, let alone producing them. The plan is to build a 35-megawatt green hydrogen production facility and vehicle assembly factory in Quebec, but no deadline has been set.