City is one of five stops for UK-Wide Project awareness of HydrogenÂ
To register for this event, at a location near you please go to the following Eventbrite pageÂ
Swindon, May 1: Arval, the fleet management and leasing specialist that is part of the BNP Paribas Group, is bringing its roadshow to raise awareness of the benefits of hydrogen cars to Oxford on May 17.
“The Arval Hydrogen Roadshow – Driving Innovation, Investment and A Cleaner Future” is visiting five locations in total. The first event in Swindon in April attracted more than 50 delegates while other stops will follow in Leeds on June 28, Birmingham on October 16 and London later in the year.
Registration for the Oxford event, which is taking place at the University Museum of Natural History, can be found at https://tinyurl.com/y2qag4rs.
The focus of the roadshow is to share Arval’s industry-leading expertise in hydrogen cars, built through its involvement in a Government-backed project called the Hydrogen Hub, which researches the viability of fuel cell technology for a range of domestic, commercial and transport applications in real world conditions.
Paul Marchment, Senior Business Manager at Arval, who oversees the company’s hydrogen activities, explained: “Thanks to the work we’ve done with the Hydrogen Hub, we have considerable know-how in running hydrogen cars. It is our aim and passion to share this knowledge through these roadshows.
“At each location, we want to reach audiences that together can help to drive positive change – for example, businesses, the public and local politicians. We want to show them hydrogen production vehicles that are being used today and explain how the technology works. Once people know more about the advantages of hydrogen, it is our belief that they will be much more likely to adopt and promote it.
“Right now, the Hydrogen Hub runs seven hydrogen cars with a range of fleet customers and their experience has been very positive. There are issues to overcome – vehicle production needs to increase to cut purchase price and that the refuelling infrastructure needs to improve – but we believe that with greater understanding, demand for hydrogen will increase and help to drive a more sustainable future for all.”
The roadshow runs for one day, divided into morning and afternoon sessions. In the morning, invited delegates are expected in Oxford to hear from hydrogen experts, fleet operators using the vehicles, and car manufacturers including Hyundai, Toyota and Riversimple. The afternoon is open to the public with a range of hydrogen production cars being available to examine.
Arval’s parent company, BNP Paribas UK, is funding the roadshows as part of its commitment to serve the UK economy and invest in UK society, particularly through championing projects that help lead to a more sustainable future.
Clare Jackson, manager of the Hydrogen Hub said: “We are very excited to offer the opportunity to businesses, local authorities and the public to learn about hydrogen vehicles and test the technology. The events will raise awareness and demonstrate the benefits of the technology, such as having the ability for zero-carbon tailpipe emissions while not requiring the consumer to change their behaviour in any way.
“We need to grow the market for hydrogen and fuel cell industry, and ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of this development as it can play a very important role in decarbonisation of our economy.”
About Arval UK
Arval UK, part of the Arval Group, is a leading provider of vehicle funding, fleet management and mobility solutions. Owned by BNP Paribas, with substantial buying power, Arval funds more than 165,000 cars and vans in the UK. Focused on customer experience, Arval UK has specialist teams dedicated to supporting broad range of customers including individuals and small businesses with a single vehicle, through to FTSE 100 companies with thousands. Arval provides a comprehensive range of products and services including vehicle funding, vehicle maintenance, fuel management, accident management, breakdown recovery, short and medium term hire, insured lease vehicles, full outsourcing salary exchange and consultancy services. arval.co.uk
 About Arval:
Founded in 1989 and fully owned by BNP Paribas, Arval specialises in full service vehicle leasing. Arval offers its customers – professionals, SMEs and large international corporates – tailored solutions that optimise their employee’s mobility and outsource the risks associated with fleet management. Expert advice and service quality, which are at the foundations of Arval’s customer promise, are delivered in 29 countries by over 6,500 employees. Arval’s total leased fleet adds up to 1,103,835 vehicles throughout the world (December 2017). Within BNP Paribas, Arval belongs to the Retail Banking core activity. www.arval.com
About BNP Paribas:
In the UK, the BNP Paribas Group is formed of 10 businesses and employs more than 9,000 people across 21 core locations.  These businesses include Corporate & Institutional Banking, Exane BNP Paribas, Leasing Solutions, Arval, Real Estate (including Strutt & Parker acquired in September 2017), Asset Management, Cardif Pinnacle, Commercial Finance, Personal Finance and Vauxhall Finance. Around half of its employees are in Corporate & Institutional Banking, based in London, while the others are based in various offices across the country, including Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, and Manchester. BNP Paribas employs more than 1,000 people in the West Midlands. www.bnpparibas.co.uk
About Hydrogen Hub:
The Hydrogen Hub is an industry-led community of stakeholders from across the hydrogen and fuel cell supply chain, government, local authorities, businesses, current and potential users. The Hydrogen Hub launched in Swindon and Wiltshire in January 2016 and has since driven over £1.5 million of external investment in hydrogen and fuel cell projects in the region with over 50 different organisations participating in working groups and projects. The Executive Members provide strategic direction, set Hydrogen Hub priorities and take a leadership role in the development of projects in the Local Hydrogen Hubs. They also make up the members of the National Hydrogen Hub which work with the Government to shape energy and transportation policy in the UK. www.hydrogenhub.org
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