The U.K.'s Metropolitan Police Service has launched a trial to test hydrogen-powered scooters on the streets of London.
In an announcement on Monday, the Met said that seven Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell zero emission hydrogen scooters would be trialed as part of its "operational capability."
The trial is set to last for 18 months, with the hydrogen fuel cell scooters being used by Police Community Support Officers in the Roads and Transport Policing Command.
"Being the U.K.'s largest police service we constantly have vehicles on the roads and therefore it is our aim to make our fleet as clean as we can, whilst maintaining operational capability," Commander Neil Jerome said in a statement.
"Through collaborative partnerships and innovative testing such as this, we can gain real-life experience of how we can progress our ambition and create a cleaner fleet that will benefit London and the service we provide," Jerome added.
The Met's decision to trial the zero emission scooters reflects a wider drive to boost London's air quality and environment. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, wants London to become a zero carbon city by 2050. For its part, the Metropolitan Police Service aims to have procured 550 zero or ultra-low emission vehicles by the year 2020.
Nobuo Suyama, Suzuki GB's managing director, said that operational data from the trial would be collected and used to support Suzuki's zero emission vehicle development programs.
"Deploying these vehicles into service with the Met marks a significant milestone in the extensive development of this ground-breaking technology," Suyama added.
