ASDA and Wincanton take part in gas HGV trial

Six major UK fleet operators are trialling 81 gas-fuelled heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in what has been described as the UK’s largest biomethane fuel trial to date.

The trial, which involves Cenex — the Centre of Excellence for low carbon technologies — and is funded by the government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles, will road test 12 to 44 tonne HGV using compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The trial has been described as the UK’s largest biomethane fuel trial to date

Participating fleet operators are Kuehne + Nagel, Wincanton, ASDA, Brit European, Howard Tenens and Great Bear.

The trial will also test the effectiveness of a new cryogenic trailer refrigeration technology. The liquid nitrogen cooling system promises to reduce the high energy demands of refrigeration units, further reducing HGVs CO2 and air quality emissions.

According to Cenex the project aims to demonstrate the benefit of introducing lower-emissions technology innovation into the UK’s logistics industry and HGV fleets, which account for 17% of all UK road transport emissions.

Analysis

Working in partnership with gas technology specialist Air Liquide as the project manager, Cenex will manage all data analysis and project dissemination, update a dedicated gas vehicle hub website, and organise informational workshops for participating fleet operators.

Steve Carroll, head of transport at Cenex, said: “Cenex have a long history of supporting natural gas and biomethane use in the transport sector, and we are excited to be part of such an innovative trial demonstrating and assessing the performance of the latest advancements.”

Daniel Lambert, commercial director, at Air Liquide Advanced Business & Technologies UK, said: “As a world leader in sustainable, reliable, and safe gas power, Air Liquide is hopeful that this trial can bring much needed new fuel sources to the UK’s HGV fleets. OEMs are working hard to bring promising zero emissions technologies to the new lorries they design, but without real life road testing by big fleet customers, these technologies will not be able to impact CO2 emissions in a big way. We look forward to leading this innovative trial, and sharing the results with other HGV fleet operators across Europe and the globe.”

John Rogerson, fleet operations manager, ASDA, added: “As a company committed to sustainable, low emissions transportation, ASDA is proud to be part of the select group of operators trialling new low emissions HGVs in the UK for the first time. We are excited to work with Cenex, Air Liquide and our other project partners to hopefully demonstrate the impact low-emissions HGV technology can have on the entire industry, while infusing the latest technology into our fleet and reducing our overall carbon footprint.”