Essex firm's hydrogen lorry on show in Stoneleigh

The technology will be built into 7.5-tonne lorries

A lorry that can run off hydrogen has been unveiled to the public.

Tevva, the maker in Tilbury, Essex, says it is the first hydrogen fuel cell-supported truck to be designed, built and mass produced in the UK.

The company adds the vehicle has a range of up to 310 miles (500 km) via the tech, with hydrogen tanks able to be refilled in 10 minutes.

It says it wants to help the transport industry adapt to a "post-fossil fuel future".

To that end, it developed a fuel cell to top up electric battery-powered trucks, giving them a longer range while reducing the size of the electric battery needed.

The company - which has displayed the vehicle at the Road Transport Expo in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire - said hydrogen had been used safely in buses and other vehicles in 20 countries over a number of years.

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The hydrogen cells will be used as range-extenders

Tevva said hydrogen refuelling typically took a similar time to diesel truck refuelling and would help to future-proof vehicles as the UK sought to meet climate change obligations.

In 2019, HGVs contributed 18% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector, the company said.

Tevva CEO and founder Asher Bennett explained: "We firmly believe that the post-fossil fuel future, which is quickly approaching, will see a new range of technologies and fuels take centre stage in the transport industry.

"By embracing hydrogen, we are future-proofing ourselves, our clients and the industries and communities they operate in."

The lorries are set to be built at the company's headquarters in Tilbury, and Tevva says it has raised £115m in funding for the project.