Governments, businesses and individuals around the world are increasing their efforts to cut carbon emissions and meet new environmental targets. In the UK, incentives and investment are increasing rapidly, with private and public money now pouring into the research and development of alternative vehicle fuels – and it’s not just electric.
The latest white paper from Venson Automotive Solutions explores the current alternatives and how they work in the real world, to help fleet managers consider all green fuel options as they put together their fleet plans for the coming years. Free to download from the Venson website, the white paper, ‘The road to tomorrow starts today – the future of alternative fuels in commercial transportation’, explains and demystifies electric, natural gas and hydrogen power as fuels for commercial fleet vehicles.
“The 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel-powered vehicles is fast-approaching, which is accelerating innovation in alternative fuel,” commented Alison Bell, Operations Director at Venson Automotive Solutions. “However, whilst a number of alternatives exist, we believe electric gets more than its fair share of the focus but it is not the best option for every driver or every fleet.”
The white paper discusses:
- Electric vehicles – already a popular option for UK fleets using cars and vans, but not yet viable for HGVs. Widely adopted, all manufacturers are producing or developing electric vehicles.
- Compressed/Liquified Natural Gas – in the conventional sense a fossil fuel, but physically far cleaner than petrol or diesel. Biogas is a sustainable alternative. More successful than electric for long-distance heavy vehicles but still a good option for smaller vehicles. Only adopted by some manufacturers.
- Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology – invented in the 1800s, hydrogen propulsion makes great sense as an alternative fuel source for commercial vehicles. Cost remains high and infrastructure is severely lacking for long-distance fleets, but many local fleets and construction sites are using hydrogen successfully.
Alison Bell continued: “Discussed in more detail in our white paper, UK infrastructure for the production and distribution of alternative fuels is clearly a long way behind where it needs to be to establish a 100% fossil-fuel free commercial vehicle sector. But the ramping-up of investment in key areas such as EV charging points, energy production for Compressed Natural Gas and hydrogen hubs suggests that the industry is keen to meet these targets either on, or ahead of schedule, making the UK’s commercial transport sector not just green, but profitable.”
