Westminster City Council Purchases Zero-Emission Fuel Cell Vehicle

London’s Westminster City Council (UK) bought what is being touted as the first zero-emission fuel cell vehicle to be sold commercially. The van, which will be used in the upkeep of London’s parks, was sold to the council by ZeVco (UK), part of the ZeTek Power Group (UK), for $47,000. The vehicle has a top speed of 62mph and can accelerate from 0 to 50km/h in 15 seconds. It is claimed to be fifty percent cheaper to run than a conventional combustion engine-powered vehicle.

“The cost of making this vehicle ran into the hundreds of thousands of pounds, but it is like a prototype. It’s to show people what fuel cell technology can do, and hopefully attract investment,” said ZeVco General Manager Alan Osborne. He added, “If we made another one now, the cost would halve, and you can imagine that if we made a lot, the cost would reduce massively.”