The UK’s First Road-Legal Hydrogen HGV Hits the Road

When people talk about the future of heavy goods vehicles, the conversation usually centres on battery-powered electric vehicles.

But a new arrival in the commercial vehicle sector is taking a different approach altogether.

This month, the UK's first road-legal hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2 ICE) truck is set to attract plenty of attention at Road Transport Expo (RTX) 2026.

Rather than generating electricity from hydrogen through a fuel cell, the vehicle uses a modified combustion engine that burns hydrogen directly.

Developed by Oxfordshire-based Metier Technologies, the truck recently passed its MOT and received full road registration, allowing it to operate legally on UK roads.

The demonstration vehicle is based on an 18-tonne DAF LF and has been converted from diesel power to run on hydrogen.

What makes the project particularly interesting is that it doesn't require fleets to buy completely new vehicles.

Instead, existing diesel trucks can be repowered with hydrogen combustion technology, extending their operational life while significantly reducing emissions.

According to Metier, the conversion process can be completed in just a few weeks, potentially giving operators another five to ten years of service from vehicles that might otherwise be replaced.

The technology sits somewhere between traditional diesel power and fully electric vehicles.

Hydrogen fuel-cell trucks create electricity to power electric motors, while hydrogen combustion vehicles work more like conventional lorries, using a modified engine and drivetrain layout that many operators and engineers will already understand.

Supporters believe that familiarity could be an advantage. Fleet operators face increasing pressure to reduce emissions, but many remain concerned about charging infrastructure, vehicle range, and the cost of replacing large numbers of vehicles.

There are still questions to answer, of course. The availability of hydrogen fuel remains limited in many parts of the UK, and future government policies will play a major role in determining how widely the technology can be adopted.

The commercial viability of hydrogen-powered transport will ultimately depend on fuel costs, infrastructure investment and regulatory support.

Even so, the vehicle's arrival marks an important milestone. For years, hydrogen-powered road transport has largely been discussed as a future possibility.

Seeing a fully registered, operational truck on public roads demonstrates that alternative technologies are moving beyond the prototype stage and into real-world testing.

For the commercial vehicle industry, that's perhaps the most significant takeaway. While nobody knows whether battery-electric, hydrogen fuel cell or hydrogen combustion technology will ultimately dominate the sector, it's becoming increasingly clear that the future of freight may involve more than one solution.

And if the crowds gathering around the truck at Road Transport Expo are anything to go by, there's plenty of curiosity about whether hydrogen combustion could become part of that future.