Low carbon freight to be boosted by government cash
The government has announced it is contribute £11 million to a scheme that has been launched with the intention of encouraging road haulage operators in the UK to buy and use low carbon commercial vehicles.
Thirteen companies are currently leading trials in the £23 million programme including Tesco, John Lewis, Robert Wiseman Dairies and Howard Tenens. The programme will be managed by the Technology Strategy Board in partnership with the Department for Transport and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles.
The John Lewis Partnership will work with partners to demonstrate a 70% reduction in carbon emissions in a wide range of articulated vehicles. Robert Wiseman Dairies, collaborating with Chive Fuels, Cenex and MIRA, will trial the use of 40 new warranted duel –fuel 40 tonne articulated trucks substituting diesel with natural gas.
Mike Penning, Freight minister, said,
“These trials will reduce CO2 emissions from freight and provide important information from a range of real-life situations that will increase industry confidence in low carbon trucks in the long term.”
More than 300 low-carbon commercial vehicles will be involved in the demonstration programme. The demonstration trial fleets will be run for two years. During this time the usage data from the programme will be gathered and analysed by the Department for Transport.
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