THE ZEMO PARTNERSHIP HAVE PUBLISHED A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO RENEWABLE FUELS THAT SHOWS OPERATORS THE WAY TO CUT CARBON EMISSIONS FROM HEAVY DUTY VEHICLES. GLORIA ESPOSITO, THE REPORT’S AUTHOR AND THE ORGANISATION’S FUELS LEAD AND HEAD OF SUSTAINABILITY, TELLS INTERTRAFFIC ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES THAT SWITCHING TO RENEWABLE FUELS CAN PRESENT.
Although the sale of new, non-zero emission heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) will cease by 2040, it doesn’t take an expert to realise that the full market transition of all heavy duty vehicles (including buses and coaches) will take significantly longer than 17 years. 2006 doesn’t seem very long ago, after all.
Low-carbon renewable fuels contribute around 33% of all carbon savings from road transport and the increased use of lower carbon fuels in the heavy duty vehicle fleet represents the single greatest opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The UK’s Zemo Partnership have just published the latest edition of their Renewable Fuels Guide and the report’s author, Gloria Esposito, says “We’re delighted to publish this new Guide to help heavy duty vehicle operators who are facing many other challenges find a way through the maze of guidance and regulations around cutting carbon emissions.
Intertraffic: Were you surprised by any of the findings in your extensive research? Were there any new trends that you weren’t expecting?
Gloria Esposito: No, not really, because the Zemo Partnership has published a previous Renewable Fuels Guide and we’re heavily engaged with the downstream renewable fuels market and how that serves the commercial vehicle fleets and also non-road mobile machinery. For the past two years we have run an independent scheme called the Renewable Fuels Assurance Scheme (RFAS), which verifies the chain of custody for renewable fuels and the downstream supply chain that is generating some very interesting information.
We’ve now calculated that there’s probably about 10,000 trucks running on some kind of renewable fuel in the UK. But that’s biomethane, predominantly renewable paraffinic diesel (HVO, hydrotreated vegetable oil), and about 2000 vehicles running on a high-blend biodiesel. In retail petrol and diesel, there’s a percentage of biofuel, and over time, that will increase to other types of low carbon fuels. It’s a very niche market at the moment. There’s compatibility issues for biomethane for regional long haul duty cycles where trucks have got really high payloads. At the moment, the market for electric vehicles, whether that be battery electric, or hydrogen fuel cell, is in its infancy and companies now really need to focus on greenhouse gas emission reduction. These options are significantly cheaper at this moment in time. Obviously they have are cost implications, but it’s much cheaper than, for example, buying a completely new battery electric truck for a long haul duty cycle.
We’ve now calculated that there’s probably about 10,000 trucks running on some kind of renewable fuel in the UK
Intertraffic: In terms of common barriers to electric car purchases, it’s always either the cost of the vehicle or the lack of available charging points. Is that also the case with the haulage and logistics industry?
GE: At the moment we’re seeing electric trucks go into urban areas for last mile delivery. The capital cost will be much higher than the incumbent diesel truck, but on a whole life cost basis because of lower fuel costs, electricity is cheaper than fuel, that over probably over their lifetime, they’re going to be a viable opportunity. The challenge comes with the long haul sector because there isn’t yet product [electric trucks] on the market.
For fleet operators having that capital cost of putting down that investment is going to prove difficult
The infrastructure for long haul and for cities isn’t there in terms of fast and rapid charging, so cost will be an issue. For fleet operators having that capital cost of putting down that investment, even though over their lifetime the vehicle might be cheaper to run, is going to prove difficult, and probably getting that financing and leasing, you’re still going to have to put down a certain amount of money. So yes, cost is one thing.
There are government incentives for alternative fuel trucks at the moment, but they only contribute £20,000 (€23,000) of the purchase cost. If you’re looking at buying a hydrogen fuel cell truck today, you’re looking at something in the region of £450,000 (€520,000), around three times more than the diesel equivalent.