Skip to main content

Gas HGVs trials have helped kick start the market says FTA

Crucial feedback on gas heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) has been provided by the Low Carbon Truck Trial, with the provisional results being detailed in a first report commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT) which was published last week. Responding to the DfT report, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has said that it supported the trials stating that they have put more gas powered HGVs on the roads, whilst identifying the operational challenges of running gas vehicles. According to the re
June 24, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Crucial feedback on gas heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) has been provided by the Low Carbon Truck Trial, with the provisional results being detailed in a first report commissioned by the 1837 Department for Transport (DfT) which was published last week.

Responding to the DfT report, the 6983 Freight Transport Association (FTA) has said that it supported the trials stating that they have put more gas powered HGVs on the roads, whilst identifying the operational challenges of running gas vehicles.

According to the report, 175 trucks were already in use in January 2014 as part of the two year trial with the vast majority procured as dual fuel tractor gas trucks.  The average substitution ratio was 46 per cent for dual fuel gas vehicles.  Provisional results indicate carbon savings of up to nine per cent from gas dual fuel vehicles. Both the substitution ratio and carbon savings are expected to rise as more refuelling infrastructure becomes available.

Rachael Dillon, Climate Change policy manager said: “The report provides crucial early feedback from the Low Carbon Truck Trial and identifies the operational challenges of running gas HGVs.  We hope that the trial can kick start the market and look forward to seeing further results.”

Related Content

  • October 18, 2013
    Spot speed deterrent proved to be transient
    As research and trials show the benefits of average speed enforcement - David Crawford reviews developments on two continents. August 2013 saw the switch on of the Australian State of Victoria’s latest combined point-to-point (P2P) average speed enforcement (ASE) and spot camera control system. Installed on the 27km Peninsula Link to the south-east of Melbourne, the system uses high-resolution automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras and optical character recognition (OCR) technology developed b
  • July 4, 2012
    Developing ‘next generation’ traffic control centre technology
    The Rijkswaterstaat and Highways Agency have joined forces to investigate what the market can do to realise an idealistic vision for traffic control centre technology. Jon Masters reports One particular seminar session of the Intertraffic show in Amsterdam in March was notably over subscribed. So heavy was the press to attend that your author, making his way over late from another appointment, could not get in and found himself craning over other heads locked outside to overhear what was being said. The
  • December 10, 2014
    FTA says Highways Agency new name reflects importance of role
    A government announcement has revealed that the UK’s Highways Agency will be replaced with Highways England and will be a government-owned company from April 2015. In support of the changes, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has said that “the new name reflects the importance of its new role.” In its first strategic business plan, Highways England sets out how the new body will deliver the Government’s US$23.5 billion road investment programme over the next five years. The plan envisages spend
  • May 6, 2015
    Countering congestion’s cost
    A new report on the economic costs of traffic congestion predicts the problem will worsen significantly in future. Jon Masters reviews the figures and some suggested solutions. New figures on the rising economic and environmental costs of congestion have been published by the US traffic data specialist Inrix and the UK’s Centre for Economics & Business Research (Cebr). Their report finds the problem much bigger than previously thought.