THREE town organisations have pledged their support for a greener future by investing in hydrogen fuelled company cars.

Last month three hydrogen vehicles made their way to the Honda BOC hydrogen refuelling station where they were handed over to their new owners.

Arval, Nationwide and the National Trust have taken delivery of two Toyota Mirais and a Hyundai ix35, revolutionary new zero emission vehicles that are powered by hydrogen.

The vehicles, which will be used as company pool cars, have been bought with the help of a £150,000 Government grant from the Office of Low Emission Vehicles. The Science Museum Trust recently took delivery of two Toyota Mirais under the same programme.

These cars are all part of the Hydrogen Hub project which promotes the uptake of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in Swindon and aims to establish the town as a global centre of excellence for the technology.

Paul Marchment, development manager at Arval said: "Leasing more than 160,000 vehicles in the UK, Arval has a long history of pioneering low carbon vehicle technologies and we’re excited to be leading the way once again as hydrogen fuel cell cars enter the market.

"Hydrogen technology offers the driver great benefits, combining a 300 mile range with zero emissions, and as chairman of the car working group we are excited to be playing a key role in this exciting project."

Gary Thomas, employee support services manager at Nationwide said: "Nationwide has a vision to be leading performers for environmental sustainability in the UK financial services sector, and as the world’s largest building society we recognise our responsibility to build a truly sustainable business. This is very much on Nationwide’s social investment agenda, and a great initiative to our staff travelling between sites in the Swindon area."

Steve Harland, procurement specialist at The National Trust said: "The National Trust is a long standing champion of low carbon technologies having invested substantially in renewable energy to make our properties more environmentally friendly. We’re excited to be part of this project, supporting an innovative new low carbon technology and bringing hydrogen cars to Swindon.

Clare Jackson, Hydrogen Hub manager said: "Swindon is fast becoming one of the leading localities for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and we’re delighted to see these new vehicles arriving in the town. Hydrogen technologies offer local communities clean sustainable energy for buildings and transportation and it’s great to see Swindon businesses leading the way."