Hydrogen vehicle manufacturer Riversimple and DHL Supply Chain have announced a partnership to combine sustainable personal transport with green logistics
The Welsh firm and DHL have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a focus on bringing sustainable zero emission vehicles to the 海角视频 market while designing a green supply chain from the outset
Riversimple Movement and DHL Supply Chain's MoU has a number of collaborations:
⦁ Sustainability initiatives – in particular focusing on inventory logistics, transportation of goods, fulfilment and component lifetime tracking
⦁ Design and trialling of sustainable zero emission vehicles
⦁ Securing the financing required to reach volume production of highly efficient hydrogen vehicles
⦁ Exploring how the hydrogen economy can help DHL and Riversimple contribute to the Paris agreement climate goals and UN Sustainable Development Goals
Discussions are already underway, with DHL assisting Riversimple in preparation for its first full-scale sustainable manufacturing facility in Wales.
Most Read
The company will be producing hydrogen electric vehicles offered to customers on a monthly subscription basis that includes all motoring costs such as fuel, maintenance and insurance. This circular economy business model aligns the profit drivers of the company with positive environmental outcomes such as lower carbon emissions. DHL has set out its own Environmental, Social and Governance goals with sustainability being the most pressing challenge.
Sign up to the BusinessLive Wales newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn
As well as an in-depth early morning newsletter, we will be sending out regular breaking news email alerts. To sign up to this service
And, follow us on to catch the latest stories and to network with the Welsh business community.
Mike Bristow, managing director, manufacturing logistics 海角视频I at DHL Supply Chain, said: “It’s exciting to be partnering with a highly innovative company like Riversimple which has sustainability at the heart of its mission.
"As the world’s leading logistics company, it is our responsibility to guide the industry to a sustainable future, which is why we’ve recently launched 'The Sustainability Playbook', and partnering with Riversimple helps us deliver on our own environmental objectives.”
The Powys-based firm aims to start commercial production of its eco coupe, the Rasa, in 2024, and a light goods vehicle the following year. It is estimated that each plant would create around 220 direct skilled jobs, making 5,000 vehicles per annum, as well as indirect jobs in the supply chain. Riversimple recently appointed Gambit Corporate Finance LLP to lead an investment round that aims to raise £180m over the next three years providing funding for two Wales-based manufacturing plants.
Hugo Spowers, founder and MD of Riversimple said: “DHL is committed to making sustainability a core part of its business and is implementing this through one of the largest partnership networks in the world. We’re very pleased to be collaborating with DHL to help us achieve mass production in the 海角视频 in the near term, and hopefully partner with us on a global level as we deliver our goal of systematically eliminating the environmental impact of personal transport.”
Currently, Riversimple is building a low volume production run of Rasas for trial with the general public, based in Abergavenny in Monmouthshire.
The trial started earlier this year and is being supported by OZEV as part of the HTP programme. Riversimple has also been awarded a grant to trial two cars as part of the Milford Haven Energy Kingdom, an Innovate 海角视频 funded green hydrogen project. An equity crowdfunding campaign is underway on Seedrs which will match fund the grants to complete the build of the 20 cars committed to the trials.