Ford Motor Co (F.N) said on Tuesday it will test a small fleet of prototype hydrogen fuel-cell versions of its electric E-Transit model to see if they are a workable zero-emission option for customers hauling heavy goods long distances.

Ford will lead a consortium in the three-year project that includes BP (BP.L), which will focus on hydrogen and infrastructure, and British online supermarket and technology group Ocado (OCDO.L)…

While most of the world’s combustion engine cars and short-distance vans and lorries should be replaced by battery electric vehicles (BEVs) over the next two decades, hydrogen fuel-cell proponents and some long-haul fleet operators say batteries are too heavy, take too long to charge and could overload power grids.

Vehicles with hydrogen fuel cells, in which hydrogen mixes with oxygen to produce water and energy to power a battery, can refuel in minutes and have a much longer range than those with BEVs.