Gas vehicles added to fleet

Howard Tenens took delivery of two 26-tonne rigid dedicated gas vehicles from Scania on 12th October 2017, the first of these vehicles types to operate in the UK.

Dedicated gas trucks are powered solely by CNG which have the benefit of lower carbon dioxide emissions compared to diesel vehicles. Gas technology is also one of the few viable options for decarbonising freight, so has an important role to play in helping the UK meet its carbon reduction targets. Howard Tenens is a participant of the Dedicated to Gas Project which is part of the Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trial, funded by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) in partnership with Innovate UK. These vehicles will be the first dedicated gas trucks to be deployed under the trial.

The vehicles will be based at Swindon but deliver to a range of customers in urban areas including London. The vehicles will be monitored over the 18 months of the trial which will help answer important questions about operating cost, range, reliability and emissions. Part way through the trial the vehicles will switch to biogas instead of CNG, delivering a 75% reduction in carbon emissions.

Ben Morris, executive director at Howard Tenens, commented: “Howard Tenens’ aim is to be a leader in sustainable logistics and actively embrace innovation and new technologies. This project clearly demonstrates our commitment to this aim and that we are constantly striving to find new ways to reduce our carbon footprint and that of our customers.”