Tesco, John Lewis Partnership and United Biscuits are among the 12 companies participating in a UK government-backed trial to test more than 300 low-carbon commercial vehicles.
The Technology Strategy Board in partnership with the Department for Transport and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles today launched the £23 million ($36.3 million) demonstration program, which will receive more than £11 million ($17.3 million) in government support.
The trials include £2.4 million ($3.8 million) funding for 11 new publicly accessible low-carbon fueling stations.
The other nine companies in the trials are: Ascott Transport, Brit European Transport, CNG Services, G-Volution, Howard Tenens Associates, J.B. Wheaton and Sons, T Baden Hardstaff, Robert Wiseman Dairies and BOC Group.
Among the initiatives under the funding stream, department store John Lewis will substitute diesel with bio-methane, and improve the aerodynamics of its articulated vehicles in an effort to reduce the trucks’ carbon emissions by 70 percent.
Tesco has said it will introduce 35 dual-fuel tractor units at its frozen food distribution center using large-scale commercial liquid natural gas (LNG) and a biogas refueling station that Gasrec is installing nearby, reports BusinessGreen.
G-Volution will test 10, 44-ton commercial HGVs using the company’s dual fuel technology Optimiser, as well as biomethane. It will test the dual-fuel trucks alongside their diesel equivalents in order to directly compare the operations.
United Biscuits will make renewable fuel for articulated vehicles with used cooking oil.
J.B. Wheaton and Sons will test 28 vehicles fueled from compressed natural gas or LNG blended with renewable biomethane. The company’s project will also provide seven fixed refueling stations and five mobile stations, which it will share with other fleet operators.
And Robert Wiseman Diaries, collaborating with Chive Fuels, Cenex and MIRA, will trial 40 new dual-fuel, 40-metric-ton articulated trucks, substituting diesel with natural gas from two upgraded public access liquefied natural gas stations.
The demonstration trial fleets will run for two years, during which time the Department for Transport will gather and analyze usage data.
