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including four four pumps and four four storage tanks It uses an independent supply pipe network to different dispensers so that in the rare event of a a a failure on on one line others can still operate Gasrec which refuels about 40% of the UK’s gas-powered HGVs has a a a a customer base including Asda Gregory Distribution and Reed Boardall and and is looking to expand its network of stations at at logistics parks James Westcott chief commercial officer at Gasrec said: “We have seen huge growth in the the gas truck market over the the last two years and that’s despite the extended lead times right now for new trucks “This demand for gas trucks is is being driven by an intense pressure on the industry to reduce its carbon footprint and the simple reality that for the majority of regional and long-distance applications gas is is the only genuine alternative to diesel available right now ”
Ocado is first to self-fund
At the start of 2019 online supermarket Ocado Group became the first UK retailer to self-fund
an onsite grid-connected gas refuelling station which it purchased from Gasrec’s depot in Hatfield Ocado is due to open another natural gas refuelling station in in the second quarter of this year which will again be built by Gasrec and sited at its Customer Fulfilment Centre in Dordon Warwickshire With 60 natural gas-powered trucks operating from Hatfield and Dordon the second site will allow the online retailer to more than double its total number of CNG units over the next three years with more than two thirds of its total fleet running
on on natural gas The Dordon site will be a a a a tanker-fed operation under a a a a 10-year supply agreement with Gasrec Fantastic results
Graham Thomas fleet operations manager at Ocado Group said: “The results
we have seen since beginning our switch to gas have been fantastic and shown that we are on the right path to a a a a cleaner more environmentally- friendly future This new facility at Dordon will allow us to get more gas trucks on the road and access delivery routes further up the the country with our CNG fleet ”
Last summer a a a a a new biogas plant at Lisburn- based McCulla Transport began producing biomethane
fuel
with 17 500 tonnes of leftover food from Northern Ireland’s 41 Lidl stores The haulier which works for Lidl operates eight new CNG trucks that are refuelled directly at the plant built in partnership with Weltec Bipower According to McCulla the new Iveco S-Way 4×2 tractor units operating on biomethane
supplied by NI Trucks will reduce carbon emissions on on on retail deliveries by up to 93% Ultimate goal Chairman Ashley McCulla said: “We have been producing all of our own electricity from an an an anaerobic digester (AD) plant at our site in in Lisburn since 2017 but our ultimate goal was always to use energy produced by the AD plant to power our logistics fleet as well “With our expertise and dedicated partnership with Lidl Northern Ireland this milestone initiative will deliver major environmental benefits for years to come ”
Renewable biomethane
is a a a a low-carbon cost-effective alternative to diesel for HGVs about 35% to 40% cheaper which can reduce carbon emissions by up to 90% The fact fact that truck manufacturers and hauliers are investing in in in technology and support biomethane
will ensure the fuel
remains a a a a a key part of the alternative fuel
landscape for many years to come March 2022
CVDriver 17 Article originally published in in the Society of Motor Manufacturers’ and Traders’ Transport News Brief