Skip to main content

Innovate UK to provide update on low emission trials at Microlise

Innovate UK will present an update on the £20m ($28m) government Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trials (LEFT) at the Microlise Transport Conference held in Coventry this May. The trials have deployed hydrogen dual-fuel vehicles, electric vans and trucks with the intention of encouraging the wide-spread introduction of low and zero emission vehicles to UK fleets.
January 30, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Innovate UK will present an update on the £20m ($28m) government Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trials (LEFT) at the Microlise Transport Conference held in Coventry this May. The trials have deployed hydrogen dual-fuel vehicles, electric vans and trucks with the intention of encouraging the wide-spread introduction of low and zero emission vehicles to UK fleets.


Various consortia are currently taking part in LEFT and operating these technologies in real-world scenarios while capturing data.

Venn Chesterton, Innovate UK’s Ultra Low Emission Vehicle Lead, will outline the latest developments and next steps necessary to implement the technology sooner.

The free event includes a full day’s programme supported by focused workshops, an exhibition area and an innovation zone.

In addition, the Microlise Driver of the Year Awards will celebrate the UK’s most talented Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) drivers through industry nominated categories. These include HGV Hero, Lifetime Achievement, Extra Mile, Most Improved and Young Driver of the Year.

Chesterton, said: “Over 200 alternatively fuelled vehicles are participating in this trial. The aim is to demonstrate new technologies and to encourage the wide-spread introduction of low and zero emission vehicles to UK fleets. Significant progress will have been made by May and I hope to be able to share many interesting insights with the audience at the conference.”

Bob Harbey, Microlise Executive Director, said: “We have positioned innovation at the heart of the Microlise Transport Conference agenda. With significant government policy shifts underway, including the introduction of Clean Air Zones in many urban locations, the transport industry needs to stay up to date with the latest advances, particularly those reducing emissions and minimising environmental impact.”

Related Content

  • October 22, 2015
    LowCVP calls on truck operators and others to focus on cutting truck emissions
    To coincide with its participation in the new Freight in the City event on 27 October, the LowCVP is calling on fleet operators, local authorities and others to join forces in building the market for heavy goods vehicles which cut carbon, reduce emissions and lower fuel costs. In earlier research, the LowCVP has identified three main opportunities for cutting emissions from HGVs which pointed to the need for specific interventions: independent testing to validate the effectiveness of retrofit technology
  • September 2, 2016
    Government needs to support ultra low emission HGV market as well
    The Freight Transport Association has reacted positively to a new report from the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee into sustainability in transport policy. In the report, the Committee states that fiscal support will be needed along with regulatory reform to develop the market in ultra-low emission vehicles. For cars it suggests reform to company car taxation, and for vans a reform to the weight limitations on alternatively powered vehicles.
  • December 21, 2015
    FTA urges government to rethink Clean air Zones
    The UK’s Freight Transport Association (FTA) says exempting cars from the proposed Clean Air Zones in five English cities is a missed opportunity to significantly improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that Birmingham, Leeds, Southampton, Nottingham and Derby would be required to introduce Clean Air Zones to reduce concentrations of nitrogen dioxide by 2020 at the latest.
  • July 26, 2021
    Birmingham CAZ is green for go
    For urban authorities worldwide, the health of residents is racing up the political agenda. Ben Spencer looks at how one city - Birmingham, UK - has established its own Clean Air Zone and is investing in alternative-fuel vehicles and public transport incentives