UK-based Hydrogen Vehicle Systems and its pet startup, Hub2Hub, will be receiving state funding to the tune of £6.6 million (around 8 million USD). Carscoops reports that the money will enable the companies to wrap up the development and testing of their hydrogen fuel cell truck unveiled in November 2022 as a concept.

The consortium has only one year to make the transition from design to test drives, which are scheduled to begin in 2024. The company says it is working on the model in two directions. One of these envisions the semi with a traditional cab and a human driver, who can still take advantage of a sophisticated autopilot system on board. The other one envisions removing the cab altogether and leaving just an aerodynamic cowl in its place. Such a truck would be fully autonomous with remotely control support when necessary. It will come loaded with LiDARs, radars and video cameras controlled by a powerful AI.

The engineers behind the project claim their fuel cell semi will become the world’s first trailer truck of its kind. According to Fusion Processing, the company developing the software for the vehicle, commercial transportation remains the most viable area for the implementation of self-driving tech. It may also help relieve personnel shortage in the logistics and transportation industry while simplifying the daily routine of long-haul drivers.