THE Queensland government will add five hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) to its fleet next year as part of an ambitious EV strategy launched in 2018.

Under the state’s ‘Electric Vehicle Transition Strategy’, QFleet will lease the Hyundai Nexo and Toyota Mirai FCEVs as it works on phasing out combustion-engined cars from the Queensland government’s fleet of more than 10,000 vehicles by 2028.

The FCEVs will be in addition to forecasts of about 290 EVs joining the fleet by 2022.

QFleet has several plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, including a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in, already in service, and added a full-electric version of the Ioniq late last year.

The government said successful implementation of the strategy would make its vehicle fleet become carbon neutral by 2050.

QFleet is the Queensland government’s department of housing and public works business unit responsible for the purchase and management of the state’s fleet.

The QFleet EV transition strategy is in place to establish new technology, including EVs, on the government’s fleet agenda.

The minister responsible for the strategy, Mick de Brenni, said the current inclusion of EVs in QFleet’s fleet – and the intention to at least double their number each year for the next four years – “will demonstrate their suitability as part of a multi-functional and versatile vehicle pool”.

This involves leasing Nexo and Mirai vehicles under one part of the program, the Queensland Hydrogen Industry Strategy.

The strategy will create infrastructure to support the fuel-cell vehicles that need hydrogen as the primary fuel source.

There are no hydrogen refuelling stations in Queensland but gas company BOC is building a $3.1 million renewable hydrogen plant near the Brisbane Airport and the Queensland University of Technology is planning a public hydrogen fuel station in Brisbane.

Hyundai Motor Company Australia future mobility senior manager Scott Nargar said fuel-cell ownership was expected to build once the infrastructure was available.

He said the cost of hydrogen would be equivalent to petrol in the early stages of the development of refuelling stations, and then become cheaper as competition drives down prices.

Hydrogen in Europe is priced at about €10 a kilogram ($A16.20). The Nexo has a maximum range of 570km and the Mirai can manage 502km.

By Neil Dowling