The purchase of the two 26 tonne 340 HP CNG rigids was made following the highly successful trial of two Scania 26 tonne gas rigids which began in October 2017. These vehicles were the first of their type to be operated in the UK. As per the first two vehicles, Don Bur were selected to provide the trailer bodies with their iconic Teardrop design to improve aerodynamic flow and reduce fuel consumption.
All four vehicles are based in Swindon and are being trialled under 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. Each of the two dedicated gas vehicles in the 2017 trial have already travelled over 200,000 km. During that time there have been no breakdowns or faults with the gas system. This excellent performance gave Howard Tenens the confidence it needed to invest in a further two vehicles. Furthermore, the vehicles have had excellent driver feedback with no difference in performance observed between the diesel and gas models.
The dedicated gas trucks are powered solely by biomethane, which gives a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 75% compared to diesel. Gas technology is one of the few viable options for de-carbonizing freight, particularly for heavy goods vehicles where electric and hybrid options are not yet feasible, therefore having an important role to play in helping the UK meet its carbon reduction targets.
“Howard Tenens’ aim is to be a leader in sustainable logistics and actively embrace innovation and new technologies. We are delighted that our trial of dedicated gas technology has been so successful to date and that we now have the confidence to add two more vehicles to the fleet. Bringing new solutions to environmental problems is part and parcel of what we do as a business, helping to reduce our own carbon footprint and that of our customers” said Executive Director Ben Morris.