AA unveils hydrogen fuel cell patrol vehicle

6th September 2022

The AA has revealed a hydrogen fuel cell roadside breakdown vehicle – the Hyundai NEXO – to target breakdown jobs in ultra-low emission zones.

The hydrogen vehicle was unveiled at the British Motor show in Farnborough yesterday (Thursday, August 18). The AA has designed the Nexo to be an operational roadside breakdown vehicle. It will carry most of the tools, equipment, and spares that you would find on the rest of their yellow patrol fleet. The SUV type vehicle has a fuel cell system combines oxygen and hydrogen to create a flow of electrons that powers the electric drive motor and charges the 1.56kWh high voltage battery.

The Nexo can fuel up in just five minutes and has a range of 414 miles (WLTP), allowing it to handle many of the 10,000 daily breakdowns it attends. Edmund King, AA president, said: “The discussions about carbon reduction and zero emission vehicles have tended to concentrate on Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). “At the AA we are investing in electric vehicles but believe that there will be a role for hydrogen and possible synthetic fuels in the future, especially for business fleets. “We want patrols to pilot this hydrogen fuel cell vehicle to see what lessons we can learn. We believe hydrogen might be used for our bigger tow trucks in the future.”