Trials confirm big transport savings from biomethane 05 April 2012

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) has confirmed 50.3% in well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions savings from running a biomethane-powered Iveco Stralis rigid, compared to its equivalent diesel Stralis vehicles.

That's the news from CENEX, the UK's first Centre of Excellence for low carbon vehicle technologies, which has released the results of the year-long trial running the gas vehicle with CCE.

However, this was achieved using a temporary filling station – a more efficient permanent station being installed at the CCE depot raises the greenhouse gas saving to 60.7%. Meanwhile, operating the gas vehicle on biomethane reduced overall fuel costs by 12.8%.

Following what has been hailed a very successful trial, CCE has now invested in a fleet of 14 new gas-powered Iveco Stralis trucks and a gas station, which is due to be fully operational at its Enfield depot from June of this year.

"Our primary reason for selecting compressed biomethane is that it has the lowest carbon intensity of all commercially available alternative fuels, allowing us to benefit from the best possible well- to-wheel saving," says Darren O'Donnell, logistics asset manager at CCE.

"Gaining independent trial support and results verification by Cenex has helped give us the confidence needed to make step changes in emissions performance through switching vehicle technology and fuels," he adds.

"The results clearly show that biomethane is the only truly sustainable and readily available fuel that can reduce commercial transport carbon emissions and improve air quality," comments Gasrec's commercial development manager Doug Leaf.

"The key to widespread deployment of environmentally friendly vehicles is to make sure that the end user receives the benefit in cash and carbon," he continues.

"We are already seeing a number of major UK based organisations, as well as Coca-Cola, benefitting from the use of biomethane, and future adoption is now a certainty."

And Martin Flach, product director at Iveco, states: "This trial has shown the benefits of CNG engined vehicles running on biomethane. These have been an important part of the Iveco line up of environmentally friendly vehicles for some years...

"The opportunities to use this technology in the UK should now be clear to all," he says.
The trial, which ran between June 2010 and May 2011, were Coca-Cola Enterprises, Cenex as technical advisor, Iveco and biomethane supplier Gasrec.

Author
Brian Tinham

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